Upright to Close Madera Plant

July 7, 2004 -Upright, Inc., has announced it will close its Madera, Calif., manufacturing plant in August. According to the Fresno Bee, closing this plant will eliminate about 50 jobs.

In a press release issued June 30, Upright products will continue to be manufactured by Dublin, Ireland-based UpRight International, and Ui Distribution North America, Inc., will distribute the aerial work platforms and aluminum scaffolding as well as provide parts and technical support out of its Fresno, Calif., facility. Outside the United States , UpRight International will continue to distribute products through its existing networks of operations in Europe, the Middle East, Africa, the Pacific Rim, and South America.

UpRight has manufactured aerial work platforms for more than 50 years, and when the aerial lift manufacturer decided to move into the 39-acre Madera facility in 1998, UpRight had sales in upward of $150 million a year. The manufacturer had outgrown its plant in Selma, Calif., and was looking for a place to build a new product line and add more workers.

But the sluggish economy and lowered demand for lifting equipment has not been easy on the company. In June 2001, UpRight had $92 million in debt when it filed for bankruptcy protection. As part of its reorganization efforts to exit from Chapter 11, UpRight consolidated its Selma operation into the Madera facility in November 2002. About 800 employees were laid off during the restructuring.

According to the Fresno Bee , David White, senior vice president of UpRight's engineering and operations, said the company is considering a move to Mexico . This statement was refuted by Upright International president John Coughlan, although he said, "We are keeping our options open." Officials from the Fresno County Workforce Investment Board will visit the plant this month to meet with workers. If some functions move to Mexico , the board told the Fresno Bee it intends to file a Trade Act Adjustment Petition to make the employees eligible for more benefits and training funds.

One Madera city administrator called the demise of UpRight a tragedy because people from the San Joaquin Valley had lost their jobs. In the aerial work platform industry, we are coming to accept these tragedies as every day occurrences.