NORTH MANCHESTER - Novae LLC’s North Manchester location will be closing and laying off 80 workers.
According to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development on Sept. 20, the first lay-off date for the truck trailer manufacturer is Nov. 4 and the impact is expected to be permanent.
The affected workers are not represented by a union and do not have bumping rights. The company said it will provide COBRA benefits for those who are not able to transfer to other locations.
No further information on the closure and layoffs was provided in the WARN.
Founder Steve Bermes incorporated Novae in 1995, according to the company’s website at https://www.novae.com/.
In a statement provided to Inside INdiana Business, Senior Vice President of Operations Troy Hanni said the company is consolidating after recent acquisitions and investments in other facilities.
“This is not a decision we made lightly,” Hanni said. “We know this affects the lives of about 80 of our people, and we are doing what we can to help them through this process, including giving them the opportunity to transfer to our other locations in Indiana or other states.”
Novae operates other facilities in Markle, Columbia City, Middlebury and Bristol, as well as in eight other states, the company told INdiana Business.
The manufacturer broke ground in February 2023 on a $35 million manufacturing plant at 551 Novae Parkway in Markle, which opened earlier this year.