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MERIDEN, Conn. -- British-based TI Automotive Systems plans to shutter its Meriden, Conn., facility, cutting all 414 jobs. The company, which makes fuel and fluid carrying systems used in automotive brakes and powertrains, has 29 facilities in the U.S., including the Meriden location. The company employs 20,000 people in 130 facilities in 28 countries. A phone call to the Meriden facility seeking comment was not returned. "It's sad we're losing a major manufacturer," said Meriden Economic Development Director Peggy Brennan. "We're trying to work with the workers." The operation is most likely consolidating into one of the company's facilities in the South, she said. City officials have considered the move likely for a year, she said, but the mayor's office did not receive notification until just before Thanksgiving. "It seems to me they found there were cheaper labor costs in the South," Brennan said. The facility, built in 1996 on a remediated contamination site, was originally owned by Arizona-based Walbro Engine Management. That company agreed to a 10-year commitment as part of the cleanup costs. TI Automotive bought Walbro in 1999 for $570 million and assumed the rest of the 10-year commitment. The layoffs will take place between Dec. 2 and Aug. 4, Brennan said. The city is helping workers with job placement and training through the Greater Meriden Chamber of Commerce and the Workforce Alliance. City officials already have several prospective tenants for the building, Brennan said.
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