TriMas To Close Lake Erie Production in Cleveland

Jason Sandefur

TriMas Corp. will shut down its Lake Erie Products fastener operations in Lakewood, OH, and move production to facilities in Indiana, Illinois, and Michigan, announced Terry Campbell, president of TriMas Fastening Systems Group. Lake Erie Products includes Entegra Fastener and Lake Erie Screw, which was founded in 1946 by John Wasmer Sr. and has been making fasteners at the plant for 57 years. Before being sold in 1986, Lake Erie Screw gained national prominence as a family-run business with the slogan: “One Location, One Family, One Product Line – Equals Excellence.” Lake Erie Products manufactures small specialty and custom fasteners and build-to-print large-diameter fasteners. The Lakewood consolidation, which comes just a few weeks after TriMas announced the formation of a Fastening Systems Group, will affect about 100 workers and is expected to be completed in April 2004. TriMas will retain 20 to 30 workers to process steel at the 57-year-old, 380,000 sq ft factory. Lake Erie Products? sales, marketing and support staff will continue operating in the Cleveland area.
Bloomfield Hills, MI-based TriMas has 5,000 employees at 80 facilities in 10 countries. Web: trimascorp.com �2003 FastenerNews.com