Steelcase to close 2 plants, trim hundreds of employees

The Detroit News ^ | Wednesday, January 28, 2004 | James Prichard / Associated Press

[Willie Green]

GRAND RAPIDS

[Willie Green]

ping

[brownsfan]

Typical response here: Who cares? Those people just need to suck it up and start their own business. I worked 4 jobs, and started my own company, and employ 300 people at $5/hr. They can do it too! < / sarcasm >

Unless W does something bout offshore outsourcing, that is his potentially fatal weakness.

[oceanview]

have you been watching Chris Matthews show these last couple of nights (I know, very few people do). The topic of course centered around Kerry and NH, but the entire panel agreed that the one way Kerry could win would be to run on this jobs/trade/offshoring issue. Of course, Pat Buchanan was really pushing this.

But Matthews would not have been saying this if he didn't know that this was going to be the plan. Kerry is going to run on this issue, and Bush is very vulnerable in this area.

[rintense]

This move has NOTHING to do with outsourcing! Steelcase has been too big for far too long, and they are just now 'getting' that they can't continue to operate at a loss and remain so big.

[FourPeas]

Times are tough in the furniture industry. Of course, Steelcase was well-known to have lots of frills in its hay-day. Those are gone now and much of what was cut out was essentially unnecessary fat (hard to swallow, but true). Some watching the office furniture industry say it's ripe for consolidation. West Michigan could be in for a nasty ride if Steelcase decided to merge with a Herman Miller, Hayworth, etc.

[templar]

Steelcase has been too big for far too long, ...

Too big for the market, too big for the market in the face of foreign (or domestic) competition, or just too top loaded with personell for the size of the market?

[RckyRaCoCo]

But I thought with folks like Governor Granholm along with Hillary's poodle Sen. Stabenow Michigan would stop the job losses?

[rintense]

West Michigan could be in for a nasty ride if Steelcase decided to merge with a Herman Miller, Hayworth, etc.

That will never happen.

[Ciexyz]

At least they're not moving out of the country.

[rintense]

All of the above. Other OFM saw the economic trends and made tough decisions a few years ago. Since then, they have been lean and mean, and on the economic recovery. Steelcase just had too many cooks trying to control the kitchen. Their restructuring and small consolidation to West Michigan should help them in the long run. They will actually add 150 jobs to West Michigan with the restructuring.

[rintense]

Correct. They are trying to consolidate some of their manufacturing in West Michigan.

[FourPeas]

There's been talk in the industry about it for some time. Talk is cheap, but....

[Area51]

But I thought with folks like Governor Granholm along with Hillary's poodle Sen. Stabenow Michigan would stop the job losses?

8 posted on 01/28/2004 10:11:13 AM PST by RckyRaCoCo (Everything you know is wrong.)
[ Post Reply | Private Reply | To 2 | View Replies | Report Abuse ]

---

Didn't you hear, Granholm said she wouldn't accept a no to the offer the communities put up for Electrolux to say in Greenville.

5 Days later the Company officially said, bye bye.

Jenny is in over her head!

[leadpencil1]

I say pass a law making it illegal for a company to lay workers off or outsource. That will fix the problem right away. Of course, you will then have to pass a law right away making it illegal to close down a business and move it out of the country.

[lelio]

I say pass a law making it illegal for a company to lay workers off or outsource.

Ho ho ho. Haven't read that insightful quip in at least an hour.

[RckyRaCoCo]

I don't think Granholm and Stabenow could care less what happens in "western MI". What IS important for their re-election bids are job losses in areas like Detroit, Flint, Bay City/Saginaw, etc.

[quadrant]

Sorry to hear this.
I used to work for an company that purchased office furniture from Steelcase. The company always put out a first class product.

[Winston Smith Jr.]

This move has NOTHING to do with outsourcing!

That's the thing about ideologists: since they have only a hammer, they think everything must be a nail.

[rintense]

Well of the two companies mentioned as a possible merger, I can guarantee that it won't happen with one of them, if you catch my drift... ;) Steelcase would do better merging with someone like HON.