COLUMBIA — Seventeen employees of the 3M manufacturing plant in Columbia were laid off today. Plant Manager David Robinson said the decision to lay off the workers was due to a combination of factors.
The plant is losing its cable assembly production operation, and there continues to be a weak demand for electronic interconnect products, Robinson said in a follow-up e-mail.
“For 39 years, 3M Columbia has offered great jobs to great people, but we must size our workforce to match our business needs if we are to remain competitive,” Robinson said in his e-mail.
As previously reported by the Missourian, the 3M plant in Columbia has laid off workers before, including 124 employees in September 2003, 46 employees in November 2006 and around 240 workers in September 2007.