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November 23, 2022

Cooper-Atkins’ Middlefield manufacturing facility to close; 68 layoffs planned

COSTAR Cooper-Atkins' headquarters and manufacturing site at 33 Reeds Gap Road in Middlefield.

St. Louis-based industrial manufacturer Emerson Commercial & Residential Solutions informed the Connecticut Department of Labor Tuesday that it would be shutting down its Cooper-Atkins manufacturing and distribution facility in Middlefield leading to 68 layoffs.

In a one-page letter to the state Department of Labor, Emerson HR Manager Sarah Minzes wrote that all of the employees were informed verbally of the decision and will be receiving written notices as to when their jobs will be eliminated. Minzes wrote that “a few selected employees” will be retained as remote workers.

Cooper-Atkins, which makes temperature measurement tools, still lists 33 Reeds Gap Road in Middlefield as its headquarters. Emerson, a publicly traded company, purchased Cooper-Atkins in 2016. At the time of the deal, Cooper-Atkins had 150 employees in Middlefield, the companies announced. 

Emerson has been divesting some of its businesses lately to streamline its operations and expand its technology and automation services, according to the Wall Street Journal.

In October, the company, which reported $19.6 billion in revenue in fiscal year 2022 ending in September, announced it was selling a majority stake in its climate-technologies business to private equity giant Blackstone Inc. in a deal valued at $14 billion. 

Emerson said the Middlefield facility closure is being driven by cost-cutting efforts to maintain the company’s “competitiveness.”

The layoffs would take place in three waves in February and March 2023. Emerson said it would be offering severance packages based on each employee’s length of tenure with the company.

Emerson is a global company with its headquarters in South Africa; its U.S. headquarters is based in Missouri. The company is an appliance, electrical and electronics manufacturer. 
 

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