IOLA (KSNT) – State of Kansas officials are reporting that a major manufacturing plant in eastern Kansas is set to lay off dozens of employees this year.
KANSASWORKS reported on Oct. 2 that Gates Corporation will be laying off numerous employees in the coming days at its location in Iola at 1450 Montana Road, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice. The total number of workers impacted by this announcement are 110.
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The Kansas Department of Commerce confirmed the WARN notice with 27 News on Oct. 3 and provided a notice sent to the KDC from the Gates Corporation. In the notice, the corporation reports that it will be reducing its workforce at its Iola facility.
“This reduction will be primarily attributable to the complete cessation of HFM manufacturing operations at the site, though a few unrelated positions will be reduced as well. This action is intended to be permanent. No other operations at the site will be impacted at this time.”
Gates Corporation notice excerpt
The Gates Corporation will be letting employees go in two stages with the majority of the separations coming on Dec. 1, 2025. A handful of other employees will be let go on Jan. 1, 2026.
The City of Iola lists the local Gates Corporation facility as having started operations in 1974 and was built at a cost of $26 million. It originally had a goal of employing 300 workers.
The Gates Corporation is headquartered in Denver, Colorado and maintains facilities in multiple states across the nation and beyond, according to the corporation’s website. It is described as “a leading manufacturer of application-specific fluid power and power transmission solutions” and employs more than 15,000 workers around the world.
We have reached out to the City of Iola and the Gates Corporation for more information about this situation. Additional details will be added here as they become available.
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