Textron to Close Syntek Plant

Jason Sandefur

Textron Fastening Systems Inc. will close its Syntek Products plant in Rockford, IL, and shift production to Mexico and China. The move is part of a restructuring program by parent company Textron Inc. that will eliminate an estimated 9,500 jobs, about 16% of its global workforce. According to the Rockford Register Star, about 100 Syntek employees will be laid off beginning in May, mostly assemblers at the 70,000-sq-ft facility that manufactures custom fasteners, rivets and engineered assemblies. Textron will retain six engineers as consultants to foreign operations. Troy, MI-based Textron Fastening has 11,000 employees worldwide, including 1,800 at five plants in Rockford. Spokesman Tim Weir stated Textron is continuing to consolidate its manufacturing capacity and did not rule out further closures in Rockford. Textron is looking to expand its Decorah, IA, plant, which would add 150 jobs to its 500 current employees. Web: textronfasteningsystems.com �2003 Fastener News.com