ASMO cuts unlikely here

An announcement that ASMO North Carolina will shut down two of its plants amid difficult times for the auto industry will likely not affect the company’s Greenville operation, human resources manager Royce Davis said Friday.

ASMO North Carolina plans close plants in Thomasville and Mount Airy, affecting the jobs of 220 employees. Those plants make motors to power windows and air-conditioner blowers used in automobiles.

“That was unfortunate,” Davis said of the announcement.

“They shouldn’t have any affect at all” on the Greenville facility, Davis added. “We don’t anticipate any.”

The Greenville plant, which produces wiper blade systems and radiator and fan motors, employs about 435. Davis said production had not been scaled back, and the Greenville plant has not had any layoffs.

The job losses in the Piedmont come amid the crippling multibillion-dollar losses in the American automotive industry and congressional consideration of a $25 billion rescue plan.

The News & Observer of Raleigh reported today that some members of North Carolina's congressional delegation are hesitant to support the proposal. It's unclear how it would help the state.

In addition to the ASMO cuts, up to 115 workers may lose their jobs at a Fuquay-Varina plant that makes fabric for car interiors.

A Burlington plant lost 100 jobs after General Motors stopped making cup holders and other plastic parts.