Nestlé to lay off 216 workers at Ohio factory

Dive Brief:

• Nestlé said it plans to lay off 216 employees at its Solon, Ohio factory. The facility employs 780 people. The last day of work for most of those impacted will be in May. The move is expected to allow Nestlé to continue to deliver quality products to consumers at competitive prices.
• In a statement, a Nestlé spokesperson said the decision was made to optimize the company’s manufacturing network and that it would be shifting some production to other U.S. sites. 
• Reducing the number of employees at the Ohio location comes as Nestlé and other food and beverage manufacturers alter their payrolls in an effort to boost efficiencies and prepare for future product demand.

Dive Insight:

The Nestlé spokesperson said the Solon factory will continue to play an important role in its “growing” out-of-home business. They added that the manufacturer will “actively review opportunities” to add capacity to the facility in the future depending on changes in the business environment.

The Akron Beacon Journal noted that Solon has launched brands such as Stouffer’s and Lean Cuisine. The paper noted that Hot Pockets, Lean Pockets, DiGiorno, California Pizza Kitchen, Tombstone and Jack’s pizza had relocated to the facility.

It’s the latest Nestlé plant that has seen its employee ranks reduced in the last few months. In late 2023, Nestlé shuttered a freeze-dried coffee plant with nearly 230 employees in New Jersey. Nestlé is not the only food and beverage maker to announce job cuts in the last year. Anheuser-Busch, McCormick & Co., Beyond Meat and Tyson Foods, among others, all have announced reductions to their staff at various locations. 

While Nestlé is trimming payroll at the Solon location, it hasn’t been shy about adding jobs when necessary. It is currently constructing a $550 million factory in Williamsburg Township, Ohio, to meet increasing demand for its pet food brands. The building, expected to open later this year, will bring 300 new jobs to the state, the company said.