A massive wave of layoffs, closures and furloughs has hit workers and companies tied to the manufacturing, distribution and freight sectors in the U.S., Canada and Mexico.
Since Jan. 20, there have been 14,357 job cuts, according to media reports and Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act notices.
Food processors and distributors hit hard
Among the companies facing layoffs this month, major food processors and distributors Harvest Sherwood Food Distributors, Cargill Inc., Archer-Daniels-Midland Inc., Foster Farms, and Perdue Farms all reported significant job cuts.
Detroit-based Harvest Sherwood Food Distributors is shutting down all its operations across the U.S. and laying off about 1,500 workers by April 21.
In WARN notices, Harvest Sherwood cited “rising costs and a diminished market for its products” as the reasons for the shutdown.
The company, one of the largest meat and seafood distributors in the country, has facilities in Michigan, Florida and Oregon.
Farm giant Cargill Inc. will close a Springdale, Arkansas, turkey processing plant with 1,100 workers on Aug. 1, the company announced Jan. 28.
Minneapolis-based Cargill has not confirmed why it’s shutting down the Springdale facility but said production is being shifted to processing plants in Missouri and Virginia.
In December, Cargill announced it would be reducing its global workforce by 5% as a long-term strategy “to strengthen Cargill’s impact,” The Associated Press reported.
Grain producer and distributor Archer-Daniels-Midland (ADM) posted its lowest fourth-quarter profit in six years last month and said it would eliminate up to 700 workers to streamline its operations.
Chicago-based ADM has a global workforce of more than 40,000. The company has not specified where it would be conducting layoffs. In the U.S, ADM has locations in 11 states.
Related: Layoffs hit more than 7,100 workers tied to freight industry in US, Canada
Automotive sector sees over 2,000 job cuts
The automotive industry in the U.S. and Mexico saw widespread layoffs in January and February due streamlining operations, weaker sales and a slowing transition to electric vehicles.
In February, electric truck maker Nikola Corp. filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy after years of struggling financially.
The Phoenix-based manufacturer of zero-emissions trucks was founded in 2014 by Trevor Milton. The founder resigned shortly after and was later convicted of securities fraud and wire fraud in 2022 for misleading investors about Nikola’s technology and operations.
As part of its bankruptcy filing, Nikola Corp. said it plans to lay off over 900 workers in Arizona and California.
Goodyear Tires plans to cut about 850 jobs at a plant in Danville, Virginia, by the end of the year.
The Akron, Ohio-based company said the cuts are part of a plan to repurpose the Danville facility for rubber mixing and aviation tire production.
Bridgestone Tires plans to close its truck and bus radial tire plant in LaVergne, Tennessee, by July 31. The closure will impact 700 workers.
The closure is related to the plant’s age, along with shifting production to its facility in Morrison, Tennessee.
General Motors laid off 800 workers at a plant in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico, due to operational adjustments, the company said.
“With the goal of increasing operational efficiency at General Motors Ramos Arizpe, starting on January 20, the Assembly Plant returned to a two-shift operation,” GM told Mexico Business News.
On Monday, Volkswagen laid off 156 workers from its operation in Puebla, Mexico. The company said the workforce reduction was due to switching to a new parts supplier and streamlining production at its assembly plant.
3PLs and trucking companies also report layoffs
DHL Supply Chain plans to close a facility in Union City, Georgia, and lay off 614 employees, according to a state filing.
The facility is near Hartsfield-Jackson International Airport, and the job reductions will take effect starting April 6. The company did not provide a reason for the closure.
Smart & Final Logistics is cutting 217 workers from a logistics warehouse operation in Riverside, California. The layoffs will be finalized April 21. The company did not provide a reason for the worker reduction.
Parcel carrier UPS is closing facilities in Maryland and Florida, eliminating 146 jobs.
Swiss logistics giant Kuehne + Nagel Inc. is closing two facilities in Illinois and California, resulting in 109 job cuts.
Carriers announcing recent layoffs include SDK Logistics, 10 Roads Express and Together Logistics LLC.
Canada pantyhose maker said tariffs caused furloughs
Montreal-based pantyhose-maker Sheertex is temporarily laying off 40% of its staff partly due to tariffs the U.S. has placed on Canadian goods, the CBC reported.
Sheertex CEO Katherine Homuth said the company does about 85% of its sales in the U.S. and her business would be hurt by the 25% tariff, as well as the removal of the de minimis exemption.
Company | City | Type | Reason | Layoff date | Number of layoffs |
Harvest Sherwood Food Distributors | Closing distribution facilities in California, Colorado, Michigan, Ohio and Oregon | Food distributor | Ceasing operations | April 21 | 1,500 |
Cargill Inc. | Closing plant in Springdale, Arkansas | Agribusiness | Decline in demand | Aug. 1 | 1,100 |
Joann Fabric and Crafts | Closing distribution centers in Alabama, California, Ohio | Retailer | Chapter 11 bankruptcy | June 13 | 925 |
Nikola Corp. | Closing plants in Arizona and facilities in California | Electric truck maker | Chapter 11 bankruptcy | April 20 | 906 |
Goodyear Tires | Reorganizing plant in Danville, Virginia | Tire manufacturer | Restructuring | End of 2025 | 850 |
General Motors | Layoffs at a plant in Ramos Arizpe, Mexico | Auto manufacturer | Restructuring | Jan. 20 | 800 |
Archer-Daniels-Midland | Layoffs across global locations | Food processing, distribution | Decline in demand | End of 2025 | 700 |
Bridgestone Tires | LaVergne, Tennessee | Tire manufacturer | Plant closure | July 31 | 700 |
International Paper | Plant closures in Arizona, Louisiana, Missouri, Pennsylvania | Paper, packaging maker | Decline in demand | End of April | 674 |
DHL Supply Chain | Closing facility in Union City, Georgia | Third-party logistics provider | Customer decision | April 6 | 614 |
Foster Farms Inc. | Closing facility in Turlock, California | Agribusiness | Decline in demand | May 9 | 519 |
Perdue Farms | Closing facility in Monterey, Tennessee | Agribusiness | Decline in demand | March 28 | 433 |
Panera Bread | Closing two baking facilities in Ontario, Stockton, California | Restaurant chain | Restructuring | Feb. 14 | 350 |
S&S Activewear | Closing distribution centers in California, Pennsylvania | Wholesale distributor | Restructuring | Oct. 15 | 335 |
Frito-Lay | Closing plant in Liberty, New York | Food company | Decline in demand | May 21 | 287 |
Smart & Final Logistics | Layoff from logistics warehouse in Riverside, California | Third-party logistics arm of grocery chain | Unspecified | April 21 | 217 |
Animal Supply Company | Closure of plant, distribution centers in Illinois, Texas | Pet food maker, distributor | Decline in demand | April 7 | 204 |
US Farathane | Troy, Michigan | Auto parts maker | Plant closing | June 30 | 180 |
GXO | Closing two separate warehouses in Mechanicsburg and Middletown, Pennsylvania | Third-party logistics provider | Unspecified | March 12, April 15 | 176 |
Veyer LLC | Closing warehouses in Arizona, Florida, Minnesota | Third-party logistics provider | Unspecified | April 28 | 175 |
Sheertex | Montreal, Canada | Panty-hose maker | Furloughs related to tariffs | Feb. 5 | 140 |
Radial Inc. | Closing e-commerce fulfillment warehouse Locust Grove, Georgia | Third-party logistics provider | Loss of client | April 19 | 164 |
Vanity Fair Distribution Center | Closing warehouse in Monroeville, Alabama | Apparel distributor | Unspecified | April 28 | 156 |
Volkswagen | Layoffs from a parts supplier in Puebla, Mexico | Auto manufacturer | Restructuring | March 3 | 156 |
Neovia Logistics Distribution | Fullerton, California | Logistics company | Ceasing operations | April 20 | 145 |
UPS | Los Angeles, California | Parcel carrier | Facility closing | May 1 | 144 |
Columbus Craft Meats/Hormel Foods | Plant closing in Hayward, California | Food processor/distributor | Restructuring | March 15 | 125 |
US Foods Inc. | Closing warehouse in Sacramento, California | Food distributor | Restructuring | April 6 | 118 |
Ajinomoto Foods North America Inc. | Hayward, California | Food and beverage manufacturing | Unspecified | April 12 | 116 |
Michigan Spring & Stamping | Muskegon, Michigan | Auto parts manufacturer | Plant closing | March 14 | 116 |
Kuehne + Nagel Inc. | Urbana, Illinois, and Torrance, California | Global logistics provider | Lost contracts | April 30 | 109 |
Rex Forge | Plantsville, Connecticut | Auto parts maker | Plant closing | Feb. 24 | 103 |
Cargill Cocoa and Chocolate | Closing factory in Hazleton, Pennsylvania | Manufacturer | Decline in demand | May 30 | 102 |
SDK Logistics | Orland, California | Parcel carrier | Ceasing operations | March 30 | 100 |
FedEx Corp. | Blountville, Tennessee | Parcel carrier | Facility closure | March 31 | 88 |
10 Roads Express | Multiple across Illinois | Trucking company | Lost contract | March 23 | 84 |
Bronco Wine Co./Bivio Transport and Logistics | Ceres, California | Winery and transportation provider | Decline in demand | Feb. 6 | 81 |
UPS | Gaithersburg, Maryland | Parcel carrier | Restructuring | April 22 | 81 |
Niagara Bottling | Diamond Bar, California | Bottled water supplier | Unspecified | April 15 | 73 |
U-line Corp. | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Household appliance manufacturing | Unspecified | Aug. 29 | 71 |
TC Transcontinental | Lenexa, Kansas | Packaging maker | Unspecified | Feb. 26 | 65 |
UPS | Hialeah, Florida | Parcel carrier | Restructuring | April 27 | 65 |
Southeastern Food Merchandisers | Pelham, Alabama | Food distributor | Unspecified | April 27 | 62 |
Together Logistics LLC | Los Angeles, California | Trucking company | Ceasing operations | Feb. 13 | 60 |
Planet Express | Los Angeles, California | Shipping and parcel transporter | Unspecified | April 5 | 50 |
Universal Logistics Intermodal | Fontana, California | Transportation and logistics provider | Facility closing | March 22 | 46 |
Badger Truck and Automotive Group | Milwaukee, Wisconsin | Commercial truck dealership | Facility closure | April 4 | 40 |
WWL Vehicle Services America | Smyrna, Tennessee | Logistics and shipping provider | Restructuring | April 15 | 40 |
1 Click Logistics | Sacramento, California | Logistics and warehousing provider | Facility closing | March 31 | 12 |
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