CEO: Webster foundry closing will not cause lost jobs

Last week, Tiffin manufacturer Webster Industries announced the upcoming phase-out of its foundry operations. Though the foundry section of the facility currently employs 28 individuals, Webster President and CEO Andrew J. Felter said that every one of them is guaranteed a position in another part of the business. Webster Industries has three facilities — one in Tiffin, one in Meridian, Mississippi, and one in Newberg, Oregon. All 28 employees will still have jobs in Tiffin, with the same or better pay rate, benefits, hours and quality of work, according to Felter. Since 1876, Webster has been producing chains, sprockets and vibratory conveyor and processing equipment. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, conveyor components were made almost exclusively with cast iron in foundries like Webster's — but with modern technology evolving rapidly, steel production methods like machining, punching and stamping and 3D manufacturing have accelerated the transition away from cast iron parts. "This is just a culmination of the evolution of manufacturing," Felter said. "It's just a transition of this casting product line that really doesn't fit our current core business." Felter said the company's number one goal is employee retention — in fact, they're looking to hire an additional 30-50 people at the Tiffin facility to meet growing demand. Currently, Webster employs about 182 people in Tiffin. Some Webster employees have already been transferred away from the foundry to other factories under the Tiffin facility's roof over the past several years, Felter said. The foundry is just one of six factories — others include machining, punching and stamping, heat treatment, fabrication and assembly and welding, all of which Felter says will still be in Tiffin. "We're eliminating that product category because it doesn't fit our strategic model," Felter said. "We're transitioning folks to other parts of the operation to meet growing demand." Felter has been president of Webster for more than a decade, and has spent more than 16 years total with the company. Over the years, he said he's seen the demand for manufacturing employees increase because of a higher demand for American-made products and a decrease in imports. "This has been a consistent trend over the past few years," Felter said, noting an even higher increase in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic. "If we had enough people, we wouldn't be eliminating this product at all. It's just a matter of resources — that's the real issue across the country today." Like many manufacturing companies in today's economy, Webster has more open jobs than there are employees available, Felter said. He said the company is now focusing on what's most important to the organization and customers' needs, and that just doesn't mean castings anymore. In the process of transitioning employees over from the foundry to other operations, Felter said the company has invested in workforce upskilling through programs like Tech Cred and partnerships with local colleges and universities, including Terra State Community College, Tiffin University, Heidelberg University and more. "We are always willing to pay for those opportunities to increase [workers'] skill levels," Felter said. "Skilled labor in machining, tool and die, punching and stamping, and welding have been much more highly sought after now." Though the foundry portion of Webster Industries' Tiffin facility is closing, the facility itself will remain open. "No one is losing their job," said Kaleigh Warnement, Webster's Corporate Communications and Branding Manager. "The change is to allow for the growth in capacity of our chain and sprocket business." Felter said he still considers Webster to be a fully vertically-integrated business, despite the imminent removal of the foundry. "I wish we were still making all the products," he said. "But we're a growing company, we're dedicated to the local community and in order to meet our demand, we are going to invest significantly in Tiffin and Seneca County."