Grafton-based paint services company
Calibre Inc. plans to close its facilities in Grafton and Saukville, eliminating 204 jobs in the process, according to a notice sent to state and local officials.
Calibre, an employee-owned company, attributed the decision to a principal customer’s decision to no longer use its services. The company provides paint finishing and supply chain solutions to OEMs and other manufacturers.
“Although our business had been hit hard by COVID-19, it remained strong, so this was an unexpected blow,” said Jerry Wachowiak, president of Calibre. “We are hopeful that a potential new owner or cornerstone account will come forward in the next few months, but we are also committed to preserving our shareholder value. Therefore, we are preparing to cease operations in 2021.”
Layoffs will start On Dec. 31 and Calibre will permanently close on Aug. 31, 2021.
The largest groups of jobs to be eliminated include 35 painters and 32 buffers. Others include six assembly and packers, nine hand graphics applicators, five maskers, five offline detailers, five paint line assistants, six rework and recover detailers, six robot operators, six set up employees and eight shippers and receivers.
Calibre has facilities at 2395 Daktoa Drive and 1889 Highway W in Grafton and 651 and 655 Dekora Woods Blvd. in Saukville. All the facilities, which cover 240,000 square feet, are closing, according to the notice.
Founded in 1982, Calibre combines handcrafted operations and automation to provide complex, high-content paint processes for the motorsport, marine and transportation markets.
