33 Tri-Cities workers facing layoffs as tech startup moves jobs overseas

A successful technology company launched in the Tri-Cities will be closing at the end of the year and moving most work overseas.

The closure of Bruker HMP in Kennewick, Wash., will put 33 employees out of work.

And General Manager John Landfield says finding those seeking another job — some are opting to continue their education instead — has become his mission.

He co-founded the portable X-ray fluorescence business in 2001 in the Tri-Cities as KeyMaster Technologies, a private-equity backed start-up.

At the time instruments with the same capabilities were about the size of desks, but KeyMaster used miniaturization technology to shrink them to a handheld device.

Some models are about the size of radar guns used by law enforcement to check speed.

It was one of four companies that had the same idea, and all, including KeyMaster, were acquired by larger companies.

Bruker, a publicly traded mid-size science company founded in Germany, acquired KeyMaster in 2006 as KeyMaster’s private equity group decided to capitalize on its success in the high-growth field of portable x-ray devices, Landefeld said.

“Since 2006, we have operated as a successful division of Bruker, doubling our sales and generating high levels of profitability,” Landefeld said.

The Kennewick branch of Bruker continued to do research, engineering, manufacturing and assembly using parts produced elsewhere, and customer service.

Its products use X-rays to identify the elements or concentration of elements in objects, providing complex analytical results to nonscientists without formal training in analyzing materials, Landefeld said.

Industrial uses include verifying metal quality used in products such as medical implants, ensuring that the material is high grade. Devices also are used in the scrap industry to sort out metals that can be recycled for a higher price.

Bruker’s instruments have been used to test toys for harmful heavy metals, analyze precious metals in jewelry and map materials for mining.

But “most fascinating” for Landefeld was development of a specialty line used in art conservation.

Initially, the device was used to match materials with original art work, whether sculptures or paintings, to do repairs, he said. But its use has expanded over the years to verify and authenticate artwork.

Most recently the company has been expanding into food and agriculture markets, including instruments to identify foreign materials in the food received at food processing plants and to analyze soil in fields, including to determine the optimal amount of fertilizer.

Jobs overseas

Landefeld is not entirely surprised the Kennewick company is being closed.

The Tri-Cities was a good location for it, with a talented pool of scientists and engineers in the community and no issues with shipping, because its products were small enough to deliver with FedEx or UPS.

But he knew there was a strong chance that Bruker would consolidate Kennewick operations into the company’s other operations when KeyMaster was purchased.

“Bruker left us alone for 15 years, which was pretty good,” he said. “It’s been a really good relationship. We have enjoyed being part of Bruker.”

The challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic finally ended the Kennewick branch’s independence as Bruker took a look at its structure.

Production is being transferred to a new Bruker factory in Penang, Malaysia. Engineering will be done in Berlin, Germany. Research and development will move to Milan, Italy, and customer service to Madison, Wisc.

Two employees will continue to work remotely from the Tri-Cities.

Landefeld was ready to retire when the Kennewick closure was announced, but plans to continue to be involved in economic development opportunities in the Tri-Cities and possibly some business education, he said.

He’s had good success to date in finding opportunities for his employees looking for work in the Tri-Cities, with opportunities at small technical businesses, Pacific Northwest National Laboratory and the Hanford site, he said.

“I’m glad that we gave almost a generation of well-paid positions here in the Tri-Cities, and just hope we can help people in that next stage of life,” Landefeld said.