Ametek Rotron, once one of Saugerties’ biggest blue-collar employers, will be shuttering its North Street plant in June. Its 19 remaining employees were informed of the corporate decision last week. The Rotron operation in Woodstock will not be affected by the shutdown, according to a company spokesman.
In a statement that was delivered to employees last week, company vice president and general manager Dan Kirtz said “It is with much sorrow that I am here to announce the decision has been made by Ametek to migrate the products produced in the Saugerties location to the Whitsett, N.C. location.”
In his statement, Kirtz appeared to say the shutdown should not come as a surprise to employees: “As we all know and experienced, the Saugerties location has continued to decrease in size over the last 15 years,” he said.
Kirtz praised the remaining employees for retaining high product standards and for keeping up its “strong reputation,” but in the end the decision was made “to reduce cost and consolidate infrastructure.”
Rotron was founded in 1947 and was purchased by Ametek in 1998. It manufactures blowers and fans used by the military and aerospace industry.
The company is offering employees severance package of two weeks’ salary for every year served up to 30 years. Unused vacation take will also be factored into the package.
Saugerties Town Supervisor Greg Helsmoortel said he was surprised by the decision.
“Nineteen jobs is 19 jobs — that’s no good…I don’t know what else to say. We never had any contact with them whatsoever. They never came to us.”
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