CORPUS CHRISTI, Texas — Employees at a longtime Corpus Christi company, Horton Automatics, have been notified they will be ceasing production operations in town.
Horton Automatics developed and sold the first automatic sliding door in America back in 1960.
The business is located along Baldwin near the airport and employs 119 people, of those, 3NEWS has been told that 63 will be impacted.
In a statement provided to 3NEWS, spokesperson Tim Kinskey, said it was a difficult decision and the positions will be eliminated weekly until the end of production in about six to eight weeks.
"This outcome is not a reflection of the performance of the team in Corpus Christi, but was brought upon by the need to optimize our operational footprint and enhance efficiencies," Kinskey said.
According to communications manager, Xena Mercado, Workforce Solutions of the Coastal Bend has been contacted to help provide support for employees who are being let go.
"We have been notified by the employer and we've been mobilized to assist, providing unemployment resources and services to anybody who might be laid off," Mercado said. "Workforce stands ready to assist anybody who needs help filling out a resume with their job search and gaining re-employment."
The spokesperson for Horton also told 3NEWS, production at the Corpus Christi plant will be moving to a new cutting edge $20 million manufacturing facility in Matamoros, Tamaulipas in Mexico, but they will retain an office presence in Corpus Christi.
Below is the full statement:
“Horton Automatics has made the difficult decision to cease production operations in Corpus Christi, Texas, initiating immediate position eliminations, continuing weekly until production operations cease in approximately 6-8 weeks. This outcome is not a reflection of the performance of the team in Corpus Christi but was brought upon by the need to optimize our operational footprint and enhance efficiencies.
We understand the impact of this decision on our team members. Employees have been notified of their termination date and provided with a comprehensive FAQ guide with details on available assistance and benefits. Recognizing the loyalty of our team, Horton has offered impacted employees fair severance packages. The Texas Workforce Commission has been informed of this action and is collaborating to provide support for employees transitioning to new employment.
Production at the Corpus Christi plant will be moved to a new, cutting-edge ~$20M, 201,000 sq ft manufacturing facility in Matamoros, MX. The new facility was custom-built for Horton product lines, including state-of-the-art manufacturing equipment complemented by a new engineering test lab geared towards elevating efficiency, quality and supporting expected growth.
We expect to retain an office presence in Corpus Christi for the foreseeable future.
We extend our appreciation to the Corpus Christi production team members who have performed admirably over the years.
-Tim Kinskey VP, General Counsel & Corporate Secretary"
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