ANDERSON COUNTY, S.C. (WSPA) – 164 people will be laid off when FRÄNKISCHE closes its facility in Anderson County by the end of the year.

According to the company, it will do a phased shutdown of its facility throughout the year and will officially close its doors in December.

The pipe manufacturing company first came to Anderson County in 2003. It became their North American headquarters.

In 2013, FRÄNKISCHE expanded its facility and invested $5 million in the county.

County Administrator Rusty Burns said the company did not give a reason for why it is shutting down its plant.

“The Anderson County Council is going to do everything they can to lessen that shock,” said Burns.

Burns said the county is speaking with the employees who will be impacted and plans on hosting a job fair.

“We will bring existing industries in Anderson County, and those people will be invited to that job fair,” explained Burns. “They will be able to walk around and talk to these different companies to see where they would like to go and who might be a good fit for them.”

While the shock of losing a job can be tough, Burns said he is confident many of the employees will find new jobs quickly.

“Probably every one of them have very, very marketable skills,” said Burns. “If you have a good work record and have worked there for a period of time, you’re going to be a hot commodity. There are going to be a lot of people who would like to have you join their team.”

FRÄNKISCHE provided the following statement:

In the course of the worldwide dynamic development of electromobility in the automotive sector, we plan to bundle our competencies at our locations in Europe, China, and Mexico in the future.  As a result, FRÄNKISCHE plans to close the facility in Anderson (South Carolina, USA) by the end of the second quarter of 2023 and relocate production to other sites in Europe and Mexico.  This will affect around 208 employees and contractors.  The Sales and Engineering office of FRÄNKISCHE USA, LP in Rochester Hills (Michigan, USA) is to remain unaffected.

The employees and contractors in the Anderson facility were informed of the closure plans on February 6, 2023.  The business relocation will be accompanied by layoffs in a socially responsible manner over the next few months.  In addition to severance payments, employees will receive support in the form of consultation on job applications and interviews to help transition into gainful employment with a new company.

Frauke Barnofsky, Head of Internal Communication & PR