Company officials said the amount of work at the Enfield company was affected by the Japanese earthquake and tsunami disrupting operations at camera manufacturers.
By HOWARD FRENCH
Special to The Republican
ENFIELD - Precision Camera & Video Repair Inc. has eliminated 115 jobs at its headquarters and plans to close at least a portion of the three-building operation, according to a notice filed on April 27 with the state Labor Department.
A company official declined to comment on which part of the Enfield operation will close. But on the portion of the Labor Department form that asks whether the facility where layoffs are occurring is to close, the company responded, “yes.”
Company President and CEO John H. Malinosky said the job cuts are due to “unforeseen business circumstances,” including the “unanticipated length and continuation of the recessionary economy and unforeseeable budgetary constraints.”
The March 11 earthquake and tsunami in Japan disrupted the supply chain of work from camera manufacturers, which in turn has reduced the amount of business in Enfield, Malinosky said in a letter accompanying the Labor Department filing.
David Marsh, the company’s director of sales and marketing, would not provide additional information Tuesday, including whether these layoffs are included in or on top of the 234 layoffs disclosed in March.
Marsh also declined to elaborate on the plant closing mentioned in the filing, instead referring to a March news release.”Our plans have not changed,” Marsh said Tuesday.
In that news release, Marsh said that Precision Camera will remain based in Enfield and will maintain a major presence there to repair mostly professional grade photo equipment.
Marsh has declined to provide total numbers of workers remaining in Enfield after the job cuts. But the Enfield operation has had as many as 575 workers in recent years.
The Enfield operation is divided among three buildings, Marsh has said. Technicians work in two buildings, and the third houses the company’s customer contact center, finance, computer, and human resources staffers.
The recession had a major financial impact on the company’s customers, Marsh said in March, as the price of digital cameras has slipped “drastically” over the last few years.
To adapt to the market change, “we have increased our capabilities surrounding high-volume product refurbishment and the rapid exchange business,” Marsh said. That type of work is more suited to Precision’s Southwest U.S. facilities, which have been in operation for the last three to four years, he said.
The company operates two large U.S. plants in El Paso, Texas, as well as a third in the state of Chihuahua, Mexico. The Mexico plant handles international business in both Mexico and Central America, while the El Paso area facilities handle business in the Western U.S.
Marsh said that the Enfield operation is more suited for repair business involving “high-price-point products such as professional digital (cameras), professional lenses, and video camcorders.” The Enfield operation “remains our Center of Excellence,” he said, adding “we still have a large number of people employed on the Enfield campus.”
But he also acknowledged that the company has “transitioned a great number of people” to its Southwest plants.
The company does warranty service repairs for all major camera manufacturers, including Sony, Nikon, Canon, and Olympus. It also has service contracts with several major retailers, including Best Buy.