Theis Precision Steel USA Inc., a Bristol-based maker of steel products, has laid off nearly all of its workers and is “idling” its more than 300,000-square-foot manufacturing plant, city officials said Wednesday.
Theis, which manufactures metal components for the housing, medical, construction and automotive industries at 300 Broad St., has terminated 30 of its 35 workers, many of whom reside in Bristol, Mayor Ellen Zoppo-Sassu said Wednesday.
Theis and UAW Local 712, the Bristol labor union representing the affected workers, could not immediately be reached for comment on whether the plant would permanently close.
Zoppo-Sassu said she and Justin Malley, the city’s economic development director, spoke with Theis and union officials on Tuesday to assess needs for workers who are not pension eligible. They also discussed how to best connect workers with retraining programs and health insurance options. Certain displaced workers will lose their employee benefits on June 30, the mayor said.
The plant has gradually scaled down its workforce over recent decades.
Theis’ German corporate parent company sold the operation to private investment group TPS Acquisition in Jan. 2014. Theis employed about 90 people at the time of the sale, and had 240 employees in 2001, according to a report by the Middletown Press.
