One of the biggest manufacturers in Ooltewah is shutting down this month as its owner, EnerSys, shifts away from the type of batteries made at the factory.
Hawker Powersource is closing its battery production plant in the Ooltewah Industrial Park by Aug. 28, cutting 165 jobs. EnerSys, the Reading, Pennsylvania-based global battery maker that owns Hawker Powersource, gave workers at the plant a 60-day notice of the plant closing just ahead of the July 4th holiday and is in the process of phasing out production this month.
The company said it will boost production and distribution in Kentucky and other locations to replace the Ooltewah plant. On June 29, the board of EnerSys voted to close the Ooltewah plant to focus on making and distributing newer, more maintenance-free batteries made at other plants.
“Management determined that future demand for traditional motive power flooded cells (made in Ooltewah) will decrease as customers transition to maintenance-free product solutions in lithium and Thin Plate Pure Lead (TPPL),” the company said in an announcement of the Ooltewah plant shutdown. “As a result of the closure, EnerSys expects to eliminate nearly $8 million of costs per year. Production of products being manufactured in Ooltewah, Tennessee will be moved to existing EnerSys facilities in North America.”
Several displaced workers at the Hawker Powersource plant said they were surprised by the announcement of the plant closing and are now scrambling to find new jobs.