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About 20 employees were laid off Monday, according to local Weatherford staff. Some lay offs were effective immediately, while others will remain on staff through the end of October.
More than 40 will be affected by the closure. A corporate …
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Weatherford International Ltd. announced Monday that it is closing its manufacturing facility in Powell.Some employees in the company's manufacturing division were notified Monday morning that they had been laid off. In a press release, Weatherford said it will cease operations at the facility on Alan Road by the end of October.
About 20 employees were laid off Monday, according to local Weatherford staff. Some lay offs were effective immediately, while others will remain on staff through the end of October.
More than 40 will be affected by the closure. A corporate Weatherford representative did not respond to messages as of press time Monday to confirm how many employees were laid off.
“The overall global financial and economic turmoil of the past 18 months has created difficult economic conditions within the energy industry. This scenario in turn has resulted in a steep decline in manufacturing capacity requirements and ultimately drove our decision,” Clyde Holt, Weatherford director of manufacturing, said in a prepared statement. “The decision to close the Powell facility was particularly difficult given our long-standing presence in the community there. We regret the need to take this action, as we understand the disruption facility closings cause to individuals and the community.”
The closure will ultimately affect local trucking companies, grocery stores, supply stores, lumberyards and other area businesses, said Trevor Timmons, a Weatherford employee who will stay on with the company through the October closure.
“It's just a downward, trickling effect,” he said.
In the release, the company said the closure came after an extensive review of capacity requirements and was “in no way a reflection on the quality of work performed by Weatherford employees.”
Weatherford said its key manufacturing operations are transitioning to locations in Tulsa, Okla., and Ft. Worth, Texas and that it would reassign some Powell employees to other locations where possible.
Weatherford is a Swiss-based, multi-national oilfield service company, providing mechanical services for the drilling and production sectors of the oil and gas industry.
No further information was available at press time.
(Additional reporting by Managing Editor Tessa Schweigert.)
