Heartland RV has announced the closing of its Sturgis, Michigan manufacturing facility and the layoff of hundreds of employees, according to Modern Campground. The decision is part of THOR Industries’s reorganization of the brand under the Jayco leadership, as reported on April 7. In a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act filing filed by the Heartland RVs on April 22, 2024, the company stated that 121 employees were being permanently let go, and the facility was to be closed permanently.
Heartland RV Layoffs and Plant Closure Impact Michigan and Indiana Workers
The layoffs are part of a bigger group of layoffs for Heartland RV with about 500 workers across four facilities in Indiana and Michigan, according to reporting by Indiana station WNDU. The layoffs come for workers at Cruiser RV, Heartland RV and DRV, all pieces of the Heartland family. The slate of layoffs will go into effect on June 20.
Originally, the 144,000-square-foot Sturgis facility was intended to produce 5,000 units annually. The plant was built with a variety of funds, including $700,000 from the Michigan Economic Development Corporation. Overall, the facility received $35.9 million in state and local incentives.
Heartland RV has had a number of challenges that are meant to be addressed by the integration with Jayco. The industry is reporting shipments on the rise for towables in general. The move addresses concerns by management about challenges at Heartland RV. However, additional efficiencies are expected to come from the layoffs.
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