Lockheed Martin announced it will close a factory next year in Marion, Massachusetts that employs more than 400 workers.
The defense contractor is the largest employer in the coastal town of 5,000, where a mix of factory and office workers manufacture underseas weapons for the U.S. Navy.
The company said it will offer most employees the opportunity to work at other Lockheed Martin factories.
Marion’s Town Administrator James McGrail said it’s unclear how many workers will want to move across state lines to keep their jobs. A smaller share of employees will have the opportunity to work remotely.
“We are disheartened by Lockheed Martin’s decision to close its Marion facility,” McGrath said. “Our top priority is ensuring we find a new tenant for the Sippican Office Park space that will enrich and complement our local economy.”
The decision could deal Massachusetts’ manufacturing industry one of its toughest blows since the pandemic began. Only Brooks Brothers has closed a factory with more employees in the past year, according to a state database. The preppy clothing retailer laid off 413 employees in Haverhill last summer.
Congressman Bill Keating said Lockheed Martin “blindsided” its employees.
“It appears possible that Lockheed may be joining the legion of corporations making decisions based on short term financial gain, but regardless of the reasoning behind closing this facility, I strongly believe that Lockheed will be the ultimate loser as our region continues to grow in the long term,” he said.
A spokesperson for the company said the closure is part of an “ongoing effort to drive down costs for customers and increase efficiency and value.”
The Marion factory had been operating since 1940, when it opened under a previous ownership group.
Ben Berke is the South Coast Bureau Reporter for The Public’s Radio. He can be reached at bberke@thepublicsradio.org.
