Briggs & Stratton’s decision to exit its home maintenance business will result in the elimination of 34 jobs at its corporate offices in Wauwatosa, in addition to the previously announced closure of its Germantown distribution center.
In January, the
company confirmed plans to close the distribution center, located on Holy Hill Road just east of I-41. At the time, the company said the number of hourly positions impacted by the decision would be less than the 50 hourly jobs it had open at its other area facilities and employees would have a chance to fill those jobs.
Closing the distribution center will eliminate 22 jobs, according to a notice filed with sate officials last week, including 14 warehouse attendants, five repair technician helpers, two shipping group leads and a warehouse supervisor.
A spokesperson said the company continues to have more than 50 hourly positions available and employees will go through the contractual bumping process or have an opportunity to fill those positions.
The closure is brought on by Briggs’ decision to stop selling portable generators, pressure washers and snow throwers to mass retail customers in North America. In confirming its plans, the company said it was focusing its resources on driving profitable growth and it remained committed to supporting retail customers throughout the spring season.
Exiting those business lines will also mean job cuts at the company’s corporate offices, according to the notice filed with the state. The 34 jobs the company is cutting include at least 13 in sales and marketing roles, another 12 in engineering and design and four in sourcing and logistics.
The company told state and local officials the layoffs at the distribution center would start around April 1.
Among the corporate jobs, 15 of the layoffs will start April 1 with another 11 around June 30. The remainder of the layoffs would take place through the rest of the year, except for two jobs that would stretch until the end of May 2023.
Similar to the hourly jobs, Briggs has 100 open salary positions that employees could consider.
