Thyssenkrupp Plans to Close Indiana Plant, Lay Off 230

Thyssenkrupp Presta North America, LLC., part of Thyssenkrupp Automotive Technology, announced May 18 it planned to close down its Terre Haute, Indiana chassis factory by the end of March 2027. In a press release, the company said it would consolidate the plant’s existing production in its Hamilton, Ohio factory.

Tyssenkrupp Presta’s Terre Haute site currently employs 230. Beyond saying the location would see production “phased down in an orderly manner,” Thyssenkrupp didn’t specify if employees would be laid off or offered new jobs at the Hamilton site. In a statement, Yashar Kazemi, President of Thyssenkrupp Presta North America said the closure would be a “significant change” for employees and acknowledged the work of its Indianan employees.

“The [Terre Haute] site and its employees have made an important contribution to our business and our customers over many years,” Kazemi said. “Our focus now is on managing the next steps in an orderly and responsible manner and in line with applicable requirements.”

At present, the Terre Haute site specializes in steering components, while the Hamilton site produces shock absorber systems. Thyssenkrupp said co-locating the operations would “reduce interfaces” and form a firmer base for customers. The company added it expects the Hamilton site “to be further developed as a focused U.S. production base.”

Viktor Molnar, COO of Thyssenkrupp Automotive Technology, emphasized the consolidation of the Terre Haute plant would make the company’s North American business leaner and simpler.

“The planned adjustment of our U.S. production network is an important step toward strengthening the long-term competitiveness of our North American business,” Molnar said. “The automotive industry is undergoing profound change. Customer requirements, volume developments and cost structures call for leaner, more focused and more efficient production structures. By realigning the affected chassis activities with a focus on Hamilton, we aim to simplify our U.S. footprint in this area, deploy resources more effectively and create a stronger operational foundation for existing and future customer programs.”