Crownline lays 120 workers off
WEST FRANKFORT, Ill. – Crownline Boats notified 120 employees at its Southern Illinois facility that they would be laid off on Monday, according to a Thursday report from The Southern Illinoisan.
Crownline President Tim Claxton told the newspaper the layoffs were a result of seasonal declines.
“The best answer I can give for the layoffs is that it’s November in Southern Illinois in the boat-building business,” he said. “It’s something that can happen at this time of year.”
This news comes only a week after the boat building company received a J.D. Power & Associates award for customer satisfaction in the small runabout category (See Boating Industry article, Boat owner satisfaction on the rise.)
No more layoffs expected
Claxton told the newspaper that it’s possible that the employees could be reinstated at a future date, but he couldn’t make any promises.
However, he added that he doesn’t expect further layoffs this winter.
An employee told the newspaper that the layoffs came as a shock; however, as Tom Broy, president of buying group Independent Boat Builders, Inc. (IBBI) told the newspaper, many U.S. boat factories see a slow down this time of the year, with some closing from mid-December until January, when the boat show season begins.
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