Manufacturer will close SLO County plant after 4 decades, laying off 64 workers
After more than 40 years in San Luis Obispo County, Joslyn Sunbank Company LLC. is preparing to close its local plant and lay off workers at the start of the year.
The manufacturing firm, which operates a plant at 1740 Commerce Way in Paso Robles, plans to lay off 64 workers as part of a permanent closure in January, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification from the California Employment Development Department.
Companies are required to give 60-day notice to impacted employees and the state before a plant closes or a mass layoff.
The firm, currently owned by Eaton Corp., makes parts for military, aerospace and industrial customers.
The reason for the closure was unclear.
Multiple requests for comment from Eaton and local Joslyn Sunbank representatives were not returned as of Tuesday evening.
Joslyn Sunbank operated in Paso Robles for decades
What is today referred to as Joslyn Sunbank has changed hands numerous times since it was founded as Sunbank Electronics in Burbank in the late 1950s.
The plant moved to Paso Robles in 1982 after founder Roy E. Coats bought a ranch in the area.
Its name changed for the first time in 1988 after it was bought by Joslyn Manufacturing Co.
Just prior to that in 1982, the business transferred to Paso Robles, where it has remained for 42 years.
At one point It was one of the largest private employers in the county with several hundred workers at its Paso Robles plant, and hundreds more in Mexico.
It was then acquired by Washington, D.C.-based Danaher Corp. in 1995, before being bought by Esterline Connection Technologies in 2013.
Esterline then changed its own name to Souriau-Sunbank Connection Technologies in 2019 after it was bought by aerospace manufacturing company Transdigm Group Inc. — though it was not long before Joslyn Sunbank’s parent company switched hands again, this time to power management company Eaton Corp., its current owners.
In February, Eaton announced it was pursuing a multi-year restructuring program, though it did not at that time disclose if layoffs or staffing cuts were expected as part of the program.
SLO County health and wellness company lays off workers
Meanwhile in San Luis Obispo, tech company Mindbody in October confirmed it was permanently laying off 36 workers, according to a WARN notice.
Media representative Emma Galli said the company “continuously assess our areas of investment and prioritization at Mindbody.”
“As a result, we are making a relatively small number of changes to our Customer Experience team to best support our strategic objectives going forward,” Galli said. “While a decision like this is never easy, we are committed to doing everything we can to help ensure a smooth transition for those impacted as they seek their next opportunity.”
Galli did not respond to requests for confirmation of how many workers the San Luis Obispo-based company currently employs.
Mindbody, which provides software for health and wellness businesses, was acquired by Vista Equity in 2019.
John Lindt is the editor of news website Sierra2theSea.net.
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