East Jordan Iron Works Cutting Back

East Jordan Iron Works, the well-known producer of castings for various construction and municipal uses, has begun instituting layoffs in response to an ongoing decline in new orders. Since October began, 41 workers have been laid off from the East Jordan, MI, foundry, which still employs about 450.

"We hung on and hung on, hoping that things would change and we wouldn't have to lay people off, but things just kept getting worse," exec. vice president Tad M. Malpass told the Charlevoix County, MI, Citizen-Journal.

The company is marking its 125th year in operation this year. In addition to the main foundry, EJIW has a separate plant in East Jordan to manufacture fire hydrants and valves; a newer foundry in Ardmore, OK; and a machining operation in Youngstown, OH. Its parent corporation, the EJ Group, also owns McCoy Construction Castings in Hamilton, ON, and Norinco, a ductile-iron castings group based in France.

In a statement that described “severe pressures” in the markets served by East Jordan Iron Works, Malpass said the company is hopeful that business conditions will recover soon but sees no near-term improvements in the housing or truck and trailer markets.