Tri-Cities manufacturer to lay off 50 workers as coronavirus pandemic slashes demand

Sandvik Special Metals of Kennewick has notified the state that it will lay off more than a third of its employees on Oct. 30.

The 50 layoffs will be permanent, according to the state Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification, or WARN, announcement.

The job cuts are the result of the COVID-19 pandemic, said Orjan Blom, president at the Kennewick plant that now employs 137 people.

The plant’s main product is titanium tubes used as hydraulic tubes in aircraft.

Major aircraft manufacturers, such as Boeing and Airbus, are building fewer airplanes as orders are canceled amid reduced airline travel during the coronavirus pandemic.

The Kennewick plant, established in 1966, also produces seamless titanium tubing for the medical and recreational markets and zirconium tubing for the nuclear industry. But those are a small part of its production.

The plant, off Highway 397 near the Columbia River in Finley, is a unit of Sandvik Materials Technology, a world-leading producer of high technology stainless steels, special alloy materials and advanced value-added products, according to its listing with the Tri-City Development Council.

This story was originally published September 1, 2020 at 4:49 PM.