Worker dies of injuries at Goodman Manufacturing in Fayetteville
by WHNT News 19, Updated at 10:17am, July 19, 2016
Goodman Manufacturing, in Fayetteville (WHNT News 19 file)
FAYETTEVILLE, Tenn. – A worker was killed at Goodman Manufacturing in Fayetteville on Saturday.
The company confirms the man died from injuries about 10 p.m. Saturday night. Goodman did not release any information about what happened, or the man’s name.
Goodman says it contacted appropriate federal state and local authorities once they discovered the accident.
“The Goodman community is saddened deeply by this accident and is working actively with Fayetteville employees and the community to extend deepest sympathy to the deceased employee, family and friends,” a company spokesperson wrote.
The Fayetteville Police Department is part of the investigation.
Goodman, the Fayetteville area's largest employer, announced last January that the plant would shut down over the next couple of years as the company consolidates its operations with those out of the Houston headquarters. The company was bought out by Daikin in 2012.
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Fayetteville still in shock about Goodman plant closure after Texas consolidation news
The Goodman plant, which is owned by Daikin Industries, will close by 2017. (Kay Campbell | kcampbell@al.com)
on January 08, 2015 at 5:41 PM, updated January 08, 2015 at 5:45 PM
FAYETTEVILLE, Tennessee - When officials called an emergency meeting Tuesday to discuss plans for the Goodman plant in Fayetteville, newly-elected Mayor Jon Law was hopeful the news would be about an expansion.
Daikin, which acquired Goodman in 2012, announced instead it would shutter the Fayetteville plant in 2-3 years as it consolidates its Tennessee and Texas operations into a new $417 million state-of-the-art heating, ventilating and air conditioning (HVAC) manufacturing facility just outside of Houston, Texas.
"To go 180 degrees caught us off guard for sure," Law said.
Goodman, the area's largest employer with up to 1,800 workers at peak production, has been in Fayetteville since the late 1960s, Law said.
Law said there had been rumors that Daikin was looking to close the unionized plant and bring operations back to the company's headquarters in Houston, but there was "no real indication" that a closure was in the works.
"In the not-too-recent past, Goodman actually put some new machinery and equipment in there," he said. "That was a positive sign that you don't put equipment in a place you're going to shut down."
Working with employees
Two days since learning the crushing news, Law said the city of Fayetteville is still in shock about Daikin's decision to close two Tennessee plants, as well as two facilities in Texas.
Daikin's non-union plant in Dayton, Tenn., will shut down and cut 300 jobs. The Chattanooga Times Free Press reports that Dayton employees were told Monday night their plant would shut down.
The Times Free Press said employees were given two options: collect a severance package, two free years of college and free job finding assistance upon the plant's closure, or transfer with the company to Houston.
Daikin has not provided details about severance options for Fayetteville employees or if transfer opportunities will be available upon closure of the plant. The company declined to share the average employee salary.
"Our HR staff is working with affected employees and advising them of what options might be available to help them through this transition," said spokesman Rex Anderson.
The new site near U.S. 290 three miles west of Texas State Highway 99 will be partially operational by mid-2016 with construction expected to start in the next few months.
Consolidation
When the consolidated campus is complete, Daikin will make a full range of energy-efficient ducted residential and light commercial and some ductless HVAC products. The Osaka, Japan-based manufacturer of heating, cooling and refrigerant products anticipates it will be "one of the largest and most technologically advanced" facilities of its kind in the U.S.
Anderson said the initial Goodman structure was built by Raytheon when they made Amana brand appliances. When Goodman purchased the Amana division from Raytheon, Anderson said the building was maintained as additional manufacturing capacity was needed.
In August 2012, Daikin's board of directors voted to purchase Goodman for $3.7 billion.
"Products manufactured at the facility include high-efficiency residential gas furnaces, residential and commercial packaged heating and cooling systems and PTACs (Packaged Terminal Air Conditioners)," Anderson said.
Law said the decision to consolidate had nothing to do with Fayetteville being a unionized plant or because of a conflict with the Lincoln County Fairgrounds.
He said the Fayetteville facility is a highly-productive, efficient operation known for producing quality work. The decision to close "was strictly made by Goodman from a corporate, strategic position," he said.
Taking the next step
More than 33,000 residents live in Lincoln County, while 7,100 call Fayetteville their home, according to the U.S. Census Bureau. Law said about 25 percent of the Goodman workforce in Fayetteville do not live in the city or county.
Anderson confirmed "quite a few" workers from the Huntsville area commute to the Fayetteville plant, but declined to say how many employees from Alabama would be affected by the closure. About 30 percent of the Fayetteville workforce are near retirement age.
Law said the company plans to meet with Fayetteville employees and union representatives in the next 2-3 weeks to discuss severance options.
In the meantime, Law said the city and county will begin working on a "multifaceted program" that addresses the financial impact of the closure and marketing of the facility. They also will focus on how to help displaced employees find work at other companies or get job training.
"Some will be assimilated into our current manufacturers," Law said. "We've got four other manufacturing facilities here in town that could use a portion of those employees."