Baldwin Hardware closing, laying off 159

July 15, 2011

July 15--Baldwin Hardware, the internationally renowned maker of high-end brass fixtures that has been based in Reading for more than a half-century, no longer will make those products locally and 159 employees will lose their jobs by the end of next year.

The company's owner said Thursday that it plans to close and vacate the plant at 841 E. Wyomissing Blvd. by the fourth quarter of 2012 and transfer most manufacturing to Mexico.

New Britain, Conn.-based Stanley Black & Decker Corp., which bought Baldwin in 2003, said Baldwin's customer- and consumer-services team, numbering about 35, would remain in the Reading area at a location not yet identified.

Mayor Tom McMahon said he had been notified of the closure plans.

"It's a big disappointment to me," McMahon said. "There's a lot of history with that building."

McMahon said he had spoken with company management to see whether he could do anything to reverse the decision, but had been told that it was final.

Baldwin officials said Reading employees had been notified this week of the closing. They said transition planning will begin immediately.

Timothy Perra, a spokesman for Stanley Black & Decker, said the job cuts had not yet begun.

The company also said that Stanley Black & Decker will work closely with employees and the community during the transition and that all eligible employees will receive separation benefits, continuation of medical and dental insurance benefits and outplacement assistance.

Moved here in 1950s

Baldwin Hardware has been in Reading since founder Severin Fayerman relocated it in 1956, 10 years after he bought the Baldwin Tool and Die Co. in Newark, N.J.

He grew the company and the brand to an international icon in high-end hardware, which has been among the most prestigious products made in Berks County.

Fayerman, who retired in 2008, could not be reached for comment Thursday.

Baldwin's products include lock sets; bath, door and cabinet hardware; switch plates; and lighting.

The company said that 85 percent of Baldwin production will be relocated to Stanley Black & Decker's plant in Nogales, Mexico, and that management responsibilities would move to Lake Forest, Calif.

In a statement, Gregory J. Gluchowski Jr., president of Stanley Black & Decker's Hardware and Home Improvement Group, said: "We recognize that this is a difficult time for these employees, their families and the Reading community, and we will work closely with affected individuals to assist them throughout this process.

"I would like to take this opportunity to thank our Reading associates for their service. I have every confidence that they will manage this transition with the same care, diligence and dedication that they have always exhibited."

Officials to seek meeting

State Sen. Judy Schwank, a Ruscombmanor Township Democrat, said she had been in contact with the company and state Department of Economic Development Secretary C. Alan Walker to see whether anything could be done to reverse the decision.

"They explained to me (that) they have excess capacity, so they're consolidating and manufacturing where it will be less expensive for them do so," Schwank said. "It's not that their employees aren't good; they were very clear about that. It's simply an economic decision for them.

"This is not good news for Berks, of course. Certainly not for the people who will be losing their jobs. This plant has such a long history in Berks County; its founder still lives in this community. So it means a lot."

Schwank said she understands that such corporate decisions usually are immutable, but said she, the mayor and state Reps. Dante Santoni Jr. and Thomas R. Caltagirone, both Reading Democrats, hope to set up a meeting with the company and pursue whatever options might be available to maintain a presence for Baldwin in the Reading area.

Nancy Campbell, owner of The Compleat Baldwin Brass Center, 623 Penn Ave., West Reading, said the store will stay open. Campbell said her family bought the business from the company in 1991.

"We're all sad to see this happen," Campbell said. "Baldwin has been a tradition in Reading."

Contact Tony Lucia: 610-371-5046 or [email protected].

Copyright 2011 - Reading Eagle, Pa.