Job Fair held as layoffs loom at Sanmina

It was learned last week that Sanmina, located at 1200 Taylor Rd. in Owego, N.Y., would close its doors next year. A number of temporary employees working through employment agencies were released last week, and further separations of regular, full-time employees will be forthcoming beginning in the spring of 2018.

As was previously reported in last week’s print edition of the Owego Pennysaver, Sanmina Director of PCB Operations, James Ryan, communicated via a letter to local officials that employee separations will begin on March 7, 2018.

This notice complies with the Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) that requires businesses to give early warning, and in the case of a plant closing in New York State the time period is 90 days.  

In the letter, Ryan stated that separations would continue until the facility eventually closes; however, an anticipated date was not announced.

According to the Dec. 6 letter, Sanmina employs 274. For the first phase of separations, an administrative support position, inspectors, machine operators and others, totaling 161 employees, are planned to be among the first to be let go on March 7.

Sanmina, headquartered in San Jose, California, produces complex optical, electronic and mechanical products to clients in a host of industries from communications and computing to defense and aerospace, along with medical and automotive, among others. According to their website, Sanmina operates 75 facilities in 25 countries. 

The Owego Pennysaver reached out to company officials about the reason for the Owego plant closing, but did not receive a response.

According to Sanmina’s most recent annual report filed with the U.S. Securities and Exchange Commission, it was published that the company’s overall manufacturing strategy could involve closing facilities that, “Are not required to satisfy current demand levels.”

The Owego site becomes just one more Sanmina location, along with many others, that have been shut down by the company. The Owego plant, a volume and quick-turn producer of advanced printed circuit boards, is the last remaining site of the former HADCO Corporation.

Sanmina, which originated in 1980, acquired HADCO in 2000 to extend its global reach, and since then has invested substantially in automated processes. Two common denominators of Sanmina’s operations similar to other large manufacturing businesses, increased automation and overseas expansion, cannot be confirmed as a part of the reason for the loss of manufacturing jobs in Owego.   

For Tioga County, impressive and noteworthy is the fact that the property at 1200 Taylor Rd. has remained active for five decades. Following its beginnings in the late 1960’s as Robintech, the Salem, N.H. based HADCO Corporation planted its roots here in 1979 and employed more than 1,000 at its peak in the late 1990’s and before Sanmina took over the helm in 2000. 

Regarding the Sanmina news, Tioga County Economic Development & Planning Director, LeeAnn Tinney, commented, “It’s a substantial closing.”

Tinney shared, “There is a team working hard to address the needs of the people affected.”

The timing just before the holiday season is unfortunate, although, as Tinney said, no time is a good time for these types of notices. Tinney explained that she feels confident a majority of Sanmina employees impacted by the plant closing will find work elsewhere.    

Part of the team effort includes assistance from the Tioga Employment Center.

Sheri McCall, Employment Center manager, explained that 32 employers gathered for a job fair specifically for Sanmina employees on Dec. 13, a pop-up job fair that the center organized in just three days following receipt of the WARN notice.

McCall commented that the Sanmina Job Fair was designed to give the employees a head start and was an opportunity for them to meet employers face-to-face.

McCall stated, “Many of these long-term employees have been out of the job market for a number of years, and from the feedback I received, they feel better about their future and are happy the event took place.”

McCall explained that 165 job seekers walked through the Job Fair doors on Dec. 13, a majority of them Sanmina employees, but some from the general public. McCall shared that at least three employers took in upwards of 100 resumes.  

Employers attending the Job Fair came in from Broome and Tioga counties, along with employers from Ithaca and northeast Pennsylvania, and 85 percent of which, McCall said, were looking for skill sets similar to those used at Sanmina.

McCall commented that as of October, the Tioga County unemployment rate was 4.4 percent, which is below the New York State rate, and added, “I’m optimistic that a good portion of the Sanmina employees will transition into other jobs.”     

In addition, the New York State Department of Labor Rapid Response Team scheduled an on-site presentation at Sanmina on Dec. 14.

Individuals unable to attend the Job Fair are welcome to visit any employment center, including locations in Broome County or northeast Pennsylvania. The Tioga Employment Center is located at 1062 Rte. 38 in Owego.  

For information, call (607) 687-8500.