SEBRING Electronic Circuits planning to close

Owners are bringing in job and training counselors to help displaced employees find new jobs.
By CYNTHIA VINARSKY
VINDICATOR BUSINESS WRITER
SEBRING -- Electronic Circuits Design is making plans to close its doors after 33 years in business, idling 35 employees.
The company produces circuit boards for electronic devices, concentrating mainly on industrial applications and other specialized boards. Founded in the late 1960s, it is a privately held corporation with several shareholders.
David Fair, general manager, said the business will conclude production by year's end. Some employees will remain after that to complete billing, collections and other business related to the closing.
Fair said the company was at its peak in 2000 when dot-com companies were flourishing. Demand was strong and Electronic Circuits Design employed 120 employees.
What hurt industry
The widespread collapse of the dot-com industry in 2001 reduced demand for electronics, however, and led to a downturn in the circuit board industry, Fair said. The general decline in the economy also contributed to a drop in sales.
Demand for circuit boards is about half of the national production capacity, and that has caused tremendous downward price pressure on the companies still producing.
Company officials decided it would be best to "walk out gracefully" by announcing the closing in advance. "Rather than have a bank close us down, we wanted to be able to satisfy our customers, pay all our vendors and take care of our employees," Fair said.
The company is bringing in potential employers to meet with workers who will be displaced. Representatives from the Mahoning Columbiana Training Association and a private company have also been brought in to practice r & eacute;sum & eacute; writing and job interviewing skills with employees.
"The average employee has been here 15 to 20 years, some as long as 30 years, and a lot of them have not been in the job market for a long time," Fair said. "We want to do whatever we can to help them find new jobs."
Owners plan to sell the 58,000 square foot plant, located on a 10-acre site at 1100 N. Johnson Road, and the production equipment.
vinarsky@vindy.com