Gerber Scientific Inc. will move its headquarters from South Windsor to its Gerber Technology building in Tolland, The Journal Inquirer reports.
The move won’t cost any jobs because all of the company’s nearly 600 Connecticut workers can be accommodated in the Tolland building, William V. Grickis, senior vice president and general counsel told the newspaper.
It will, however, save money. Gerber leases the building in South Windsor but owns the Tolland facility.
The company in 2001 sold its South Windsor buildings to a real estate holding company and then leased them back as a money-saving maneuver. But Grickis said it now makes more sense to move the remaining 206 or so South Windsor workers to the Tolland facility.
There is ample space in the 225,000-square-foot Tolland building, with 350 employees, to accommodate the South Windsor workers, Grickis said.
The company’s ties with South Windsor go back to the 1950s, when H. Joseph Gerber started the company, which in 1961 went through an initial public offering of stock. It later expanded to include Gerber Coburn, an eyeglass-making-equipment manufacturer.
South Windsor Mayor John Pelkey said Thursday that while it is sad to see Gerber leave, the town already is working to find a replacement for the site.
“We’re very business-friendly,” Pelkey said, adding the location along Interstate 84 is an attractive one.
Speculation had centered on the possible sale of the Technology division, which company officials denied.
Gerber Technology makes automated manufacturing equipment and software for markets including apparel, aerospace, transportation interiors, furniture, composites, and industrial fabrics.
In 2008, Gerber Scientific eliminated at least 120 jobs throughout the company, including an undisclosed number at Gerber Technology. Gerber officials said at the time of the layoffs that the job cuts included 50 at Gerber’s Connecticut operations. The remaining job cuts were at other U.S. offices, in Europe, and in Asia, they said.
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