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Anna Soppeck

By JERRY LYNOTT jlynott@leader.net
 Thursday, January 09, 2003 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;Page: 1D 





DALLAS - Encon, a heating-element manufacturer, will close its Back
Mountain-area plant in March and lay off 97 workers, the company's owner said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Watlow Electric Manufacturing Co. of St. Louis, which purchased the plant
four years ago, said the move is due primarily to the continued downturn in
the economy. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Some of the production will be moved to Watlow's plant in Hannibal, Mo.,
said John Ray, general manager of the local operation. The rest of the
products produced by Encon will no longer be available. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Ray said Encon had made dramatic changes and improvements to be competitive
in the last two years. ``We won the battle, but lost the war,'' he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Employees will be given severance and termination benefits by Watlow.
Before Watlow purchased the Dallas plant, it was known as Energy Convertors
Inc. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 In addition, a task force has been created to assist workers with finding
new employment, Ray said. He lauded the workers for their professionalism and
skills and said they are committed to carrying out their duties till the end. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 ``We have probably one of the best work forces I've had the opportunity to
work with,'' Ray said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Workers were notified Dec. 16 of the pending shutdown as was the state
Department of Labor and Industry. A Worker Adjustment and Retraining
Notification Act notice was filed with the department, advising it layoffs
will begin Feb. 15. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 By law, the WARN notice must be provided to employees, the state and the
appropriate unit of local government at least 60 days in advance of the
closing. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Ray said he was unable to assign a dollar figure to the economic impact of
the closing. In addition to providing employee salaries and benefits, Encon
used local suppliers, he said. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 The company manufactures tubular heating elements for manufacturers of
baseboard and unit heaters, appliances and food service industry equipment. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 It was started in 1973 by Hanford Eckman to provide employment for workers
who lost their jobs when the Singer Co., Climate Control Division, closed its
Trucksville plant. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Watlow bought the plant on Lower Demunds Road in 1998. The company has
manufacturing facilities around the globe and serves a variety of markets
including life sciences, plastics processing, power generation and
semiconductor processing. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 Jerry Lynott, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 829-7237. &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; 
 &nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;

Strained Economy Forces Encon To Close Back Mountain Manufacturer Of Heating Elements Has Established A Task Force To Help Its 97 Workers Find Jobs.