Metro Detroit auto supplier Webasto announces more layoffs
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- Webasto is an international auto supplier with several plants in metro Detroit.
- The company announced in a WARN Act notice that it would be laying off approximately 134 employees from its New Hudson plant.
- The employees are not represented by a union.
Webasto, an automotive supplier that specializes in manufacturing roofs, has notified state government that it will lay off 134 employees at its New Hudson plant in Lyon Township.
In a WARN Act notice sent to the state dated June 25, Webasto’s vice president of People and Organization, Corey Stowell, said the layoffs are part of a consolidation plan, and a “direct consequence of reduced production volumes, a factor beyond Webasto’s control.”
The sudden layoff will affect employees who are not represented by a union, according to the notice.
The plan, according to Webasto spokesperson Debra Ortisi, is to consolidate Webasto production from its New Hudson plant into a plant in Plymouth Township, which the brand calls the “Webasto Detroit” plant.
“We are consolidating the programs from New Hudson into the Webasto Detroit plant to maximize our efficiency and reduce costs,” Ortisi said via email, adding that Webasto will hold on to the New Hudson facility while pursuing “new business opportunities for it.”
This is the second time this year that Webasto has laid off employees. Earlier this year, the company shuttered a plant in Rochester Hills, leading to the loss of 244 jobs.
Late last year, in 2024, Webasto laid off 218 employees at the New Hudson plant and the “Webasto Detroit” plant in Plymouth Township.
Webasto is a large automotive supplier based in Germany, primarily specializing in car roofing technologies — including sunroofs, removable hard tops, and heating systems. It works with each of the Detroit Three automakers: Stellantis, General Motors and the Ford Motor Co., according to its website.
Previously, the company had come under fire for struggling to keep up with the demand regarding Ford Broncos, a product for which it successfully jockeyed to manufacture roofs.
At the time, in 2021, a Ford spokesperson told the Free Press the company was working with Webasto to expedite roof production, lofting the idea of expanding operations to another plant.
Liam Rappleye covers Stellantis and the UAW for the Detroit Free Press. Contact him: [email protected].
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