Michelin North America Inc. announced a consolidation plan on Thursday that would close the Tuscaloosa BFGoodrich plant after operating for almost 80 years.
The Tuscaloosa plant, which employs about 1,450 workers according to the West Alabama Chamber of Commerce, plans to completely shut its doors by the end of 2028, with the first round of layoffs coming in early 2027.
Michelin plans to move operations from Tuscaloosa to another plant in Fort Wayne, Indiana. An estimated 1,200 employees from the Tuscaloosa factory will lose their jobs after the consolidation.
In a statement from Michelin regarding the closure of the Tuscaloosa plant, the company cited “structural inefficiencies” as the reason for the consolidation and that it could not “identify any feasible structure that could enable us to continue operating in Tuscaloosa.”
Rep. Terri Sewell of Alabama’s 7th Congressional District said in a statement she was “deeply saddened to learn that Michelin is closing the BFGoodrich plant in Tuscaloosa” and “committed to working with local, state, and federal leaders and workforce partners to help affected workers get back on their feet.”
The Tuscaloosa County Economic Development Authority and the Chamber of Commerce of West Alabama met with city officials after the announcement.
At the meeting, Northport Mayor Dale Phillips said the officials had not been made aware of the closure until minutes before the news broke.
“The elected officials found out about this yesterday morning,” Phillips said. “I know there’s some folks out there that think we knew this was coming. That is not the case. We were shocked as everyone was. We found it out yesterday morning, minutes before the story broke.”
During the same meeting, Phillips also said officials are working on a plan to address those affected by the shutdown.
“We’re here. We understand that we have some hard times coming, but we are working on a plan to address this as it happens,” Phillips said.
