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Paso Robles manufacturing facility closing after 40 years

November 28, 2024

By KAREN VELIE

A Paso Robles based manufacturing facility is slated to close early next year. Joslyn Sunbank will permanently close its doors on Jan. 16, 2025, according to a WARN notice filed with the state last week.

Because of the closure, 65 people will lose their jobs. The company manufactures accessories for aerospace and defense industries.

The company is a subsidiary of the Eaton Company. Eaton’s stock increased from $164 a share in Nov. 2022 to $377 in Nov. 2024.

 


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Very Sad, another one bites the dust! I am in the Manufacturing industry. And have seen too many machine shops close their doors after years of productive business. Even talked to one of my vendors that had to move into his shop a few months ago, because he had the power turned of at his apartment! These past couple years have been very very rough on the manufacturing industry! We went from over 1M to 300k in just the past few years. Praying the industry will recover before we lose anyone else!


2

This company has always been cut throat towards their employees for profit. Yearly 2% raises while demand 56-60 hour work weeks. Many people have been hurt there due to the just get the job done attitude with subpair tools and materials. They started sending machines and jobs to Mexico back in 2012. They were a subcontractors of Boeing and many other federally contracted aerospace company’s. The big companys got around only made in America laws by sub contracting to smaller company that would then send the job to Mexico..Now look at Boeing losing astronauts and blaming others while the president of said company got a 32 million dollar bonus.


0

This closure is reminiscent of the massive aerospace/defense industries closures of the 1980s-90s. So many Southern California defnse contractors and sub-contractors, includjng the one I worked at for 17 years, to close and lay off thousands of skilled Aerospace workers. The ones that survived managed to continue operations as long as pre-existing projects were still viable.


To see yet another long time facility forced, for whatever reason, to close its doors, leaving many unemployed and forced to perhaps retrain in non-aerospace-related jobs isn’t going to be easy for them, or the greater community tax base.


5

Ran one of the massive 6″ screw machines for a few years, before enlisting Army. My wife was the lead sales rep. This was back when Roy Coats still ran the place, and we loved working for Roy.


My machine was made in 1892, in Sweden. Still ran like new. Thing was big as a bus. Noisy, hot, stinky, greasy, and could run non-stop for a month churning out parts, as long as I kept it fed with stock. Had to rebuild the entire gear train, just to change the tool run pattern for a new part. CNC does all that now.


Didn’t pay a lot, and Roy kept the damn unions out of the shop, which kept everyone happy, despite the pay. We made a LOT of power connector parts for the military, many of which I “rediscovered” on tanks and aircraft during my Army career.


16

They have probably transferred the manufacturing to another facility in Texas where there is less regulation and their employees can afford to live.


6

SOURIAU-SUNBANK is a global leader in connection technologies that started more than 100 years ago.

According to their website, they “specialize in designing, manufacturing and marketing interconnect solutions for harsh environments: aeronautics, space, defence, transport, energy, industrial equipment, healthcare devices, and lighting.”

Seems awfully peculiar for them to leave Paso..


-28

Probably moved offshore to a cheaper plant, with less regulation, with less quality control, making it more difficult to hold things accountable, not made in house. Like Boeing. Maybe tariffs will make our economy more self reliant; ie; business owners invest locally and Pay wages relative to cost of living; or they won’t. And the average Joe will eat the cost and pay more.


-3

Maybe it isn’t peculiar. Or the result of regulatory overreach add cheap employers.

Perhaps it is a thing they talked about in business school, which was a business life cycle. 40 years in business is a good run. A lost contract or two can take you out. No conspiracies, heavy handed government, or greedy employers required.


7