HUTCHINSON, Kan. — Siemens Gamesa announced Monday it will furlough a large number of workers in the U.S., including 200 at the Hutchinson facility. This statement was released by Siemens Gamesa Monday afternoon:
"The global pandemic is causing an interruption in our business operations. Driven by parts and material delays directly caused by COVID-19 impacts to our international suppliers, Siemens Gamesa has made the difficult decision to furlough 100 employees at the Fort Madison, Iowa, facility and about 200 employees at the Hutchinson, Kansas, facilities. The company informed employees on Monday, April 6."
"We will work with our furloughed employees and keep them informed of the available resources to support them and their families through this temporary situation. At this point, we anticipate this will last three or four weeks, but we’re doing everything we can to restore the supply chain as quickly as possible. We will resume full operations as supplies become available."
"Siemens Gamesa’s highest priority continues to be to safeguard the health and safety of our employees, families and communities during this crisis. We are continuously assessing the impact the virus is causing on our supply chain, the movement of components/people and the operation of manufacturing facilities. Every resource is being applied to get the business back to normal as quickly as possible."
The company also endured a mass layoff in 2017 when 140 workers were let go. The wind turbine maker then increased its workforce again in the spring of 2018. At its peak, Siemens Gamesa employed 400 workers in Hutchinson, but has averaged around 300.