AMERICAN STANDARD Line move means loss of 80 jobs

The plant will go from two shifts to one.
SALEM -- American Standard says the best use of its assets is to move a product line from Salem to a newer plant in Mexico, resulting in 80 job losses locally.
The work that will continue to be done in Salem "will continue to focus on what they do well,'' said company spokeswoman Lisa Glover from Piscataway, N.J.
There will be just under 500 workers at American Standard's Salem plant after the layoff at year's end of 80 hourly and salaried workers, she said.
There currently are 575 employees here; 12 percent of the layoffs will be salaried employees, she said.
The plant will go from two shifts to one.
"It's very difficult, it's hard for everyone involved," she said.
What's going
Being sent to Aguascalientes, Mexico, is the economy acrylic tub line now manufactured in Salem, Glover said. The Mexico plant can make these acrylic products more efficiently, she stressed.
"We need to do it because we need to be competitive and make the best use of our assets," she explained. American Standard has 62 plants in 26 countries with worldwide sales in 40 countries.
"We want to keep our business in Salem so Salem will continue to focus on what they do well," Glover said. That work involves luxury tub models, steel and Americast tubs and sinks.