Home > Research Center > Expansion/Downsizing > 2008 Archive > November 2008

November 2008...

In Buffalo Niagara, there's an opportunity around every corner.  The Expansions and Contractions report produced by the NYS DOT for Western New York contains information derived from local newspapers.

Expansions & Openings

Sail-it an information technology and management consulting firm in Buffalo (Erie County) plans to hire 150 people within the next 10 months. The company, which currently employs about 70, will hire mostly network engineers and software developers to support clients from divergent industries.

Conax Technologies LLC has ended a nearly two-year search for a new home and has decided to move its manufacturing operations from Cheektowaga to the Buffalo (Erie County) Lakeside Commerce Park. The company, which manufactures temperature sensors and pressure vacuum sealing devices for industrial and high-tech purposes currently employs 89. With the expansion, the company is looking to see employment approach the 150 worker marker.

Delaware North Cos. Travel Hospitalities Services is looking to fill some 60 jobs at the new Anchor Bar that will open at the Buffalo Niagara International Airport (Erie County) in early January 2009. Delaware North is also working with the Niagara Frontier Transportation Authority to develop a 200-seat airport food court that will open in spring 2009. Employment will rise to about 300, up from 130 full-and part-time workers by the end of 2009.

Layoffs & Closings

Ford Motor Co. has expanded its latest round of buyout offers to the Hamburg (Erie County) stamping plant. The offers were extended to all 850 hourly workers represented by UAW local 897 at the plant. The buyouts will be offered until October 31. The new round offers the same 10 packages as those presented earlier this year.

Fisher-Price  in East Aurora (Erie County) is eliminating 70 jobs from its workforce of 900, part of about 1000 jobs that its parent company Mattel is cutting worldwide. The toymaker’s cuts are a combination of layoffs, retirements, attrition and vacant positions.

Praxair  is cutting 60 jobs at its research and development site in the Town of Tonawanda (Erie County) as it prepares for leaner times. The cuts represent about 5.4% of the company’s workforce of 1,100 at the Praxair Technology Center, which houses the company’s research and development, engineering, information technology and other functions.

Delphi in Lockport (Niagara County) has laid off another two dozen employees this week. If auto sales continue to decline, the company could be seeing 50 to 100 layoffs every week.

Par Foam Products a Buffalo (Erie County) business with 52 employees, is headed for a shutdown after it was acquired by a Massachusetts-based company. Par Foam’s plant produces gaskets, seals and filters made of polyurethane foam and sponge rubber for automotive, medical, office equipment, industrial, packaging and household uses.

HSBC Mortgage Corp. has about 225 employees in Depew (Erie County) losing their jobs, as the lender shuts down wholesale and correspondent lending and shifts to direct lending to consumers instead of through brokers. Employees will remain on the job for 60 more days.

Hydro-Air Components has laid off 30 employees at its plant in South Buffalo (Erie County), citing a weakening economic climate. The company supplies products to the commercial heating and cooling industries. Hydro-Air moved to a new plant in early 2007 and at that time said it expected to add 200 jobs over an 18-month period, in addition to retaining 114 jobs. Following the layoffs, which took effect last week (November 10), Hydro-Air has 120 workers.

Henkel Corp. announced that it will begin a three-year process to shut down its Olean (Cattaraugus County) Plant. The announcement was long anticipated. As early as 2006, the plant had 230 workers, due to layoffs, that number has shrunk to 105 today. In May of 2007 the company announced it would begin cutting back more jobs as it transfers its epoxy molding compounds division from Olean to a joint venture in China. Henkel produces coatings, powders and encapsulants for the worldwide electronic and industrial markets. At this time there is not a firm date for closing the plant other than it will close sometime in 2011.

Minrad International, an Orchard Park (Erie County) based anesthesia maker is facing severe financial problems. The company announced that it has cut 50 positions, equal to 35 percent of its work force.

General Motors is cutting back on shifts at plants across the county, including the GM Power Train plant in Tonawanda (Erie County). Between 200-300 workers have learned about the shift reductions at the WNY location, with some production lines being reduced to one shift. The entire workforce at the plants has also been notified about the possibility of the plant being shutdown completely from December 15-January 8th. Should that occur it would furlough not only 1300 unionized workers, but approximately 300 managers and engineers as well.