A car seat manufacturer will permanently close its plant in Athens, Tennessee, on June 30, laying off 210 workers.
Adient notified the Tennessee Department of Labor and Workforce Development of its plans for the McMinn County facility. The company describes itself as a global leader in automotive seating. It has more than 65,000 employees in 29 countries and operates about 200 manufacturing and assembly plants worldwide.
In an email, a spokesperson for the company, Mary Kay Dodero, said Adient’s Athens plant acted as a manufacturing facility supplying metal structures and mechanisms for automotive seats. She did not respond to a question about the reason behind the closure.
Last year, the company laid off more than 400 workers at its facilities in Middle and West Tennessee, according to the Tennessee Lookout. That included 95 employees at its plant in Maury County and 320 workers at its location in Lexington, Tennessee, in Henderson County. In 2020, Adient announced plans to expand its Lexington operations, investing $23.5 million and adding 330 jobs.
In a phone call, Athens Mayor Larry Eaton said he was highly concerned about the plant closure, adding officials aim to help affected workers find other jobs.
The company’s decision last year to close other facilities in Tennessee raised red flags, Eaton said, and local officials have tried to be proactive about recruiting employers to Athens. City officials recently joined state leaders for a trip to Japan to try to attract manufacturing companies to Tennessee, he said.
Contact business reporter David Floyd at dfloyd@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6249.