Staff Report
Published March 21, 2013
Cummins Marine is laying off 50 employees, according to a filing with S.C. Works, because of work transfers from the company’s North Charleston location to North Carolina.
In November, Cummins Marine announced it would move its upfitting work from the Lowcountry, but the company wasn’t sure the number of employees who would be affected. In February, the company included the layoff figure in a report filed with S.C. Works and projected that the layoffs would occur April 1.
The move is happening over a period of months, said company spokeswoman Janet Williams in November. Cummins employs about 780 in the Lowcountry between its marine unit and Cummins Turbo Technologies.
A Cummins facility in Rocky Mount, N.C., manufactures the marine engines, which are then shipped to Charleston to be upfitted for commercial and marine use, Williams said. After the transition, workers in Rocky Mount will also upfit the engines.
“It’s kind of common sense to get all the work done in one location,” Williams said late last year.
In June 2012, Cummins announced expansion plans at its location in Palmetto Commerce Park, where the company makes turbochargers for diesel engines. The company will invest $19.5 million and create 76 jobs.
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