Atlas Industries closes Fremont, Tiffin operations

FREMONT - Atlas Industries has closed it's Fremont and Tiffin location, leaving around 100 people without a job in Fremont and another 60 in Tiffin.

By Friday afternoon, only a half dozen vehicles remained in the parking lot of the corporate headquarters, 1750 E. State St.

The company made its name in the 1940s for producing crankshafts for engines, pumps and compressors.

Atlas expanded production to include air intakes, balance shafts, cylinder heads, exhaust manifolds, motor shafts and other machine parts.

Sandusky County Economic Development Director Beth Hannam declined to comment further on the closure, opting to send comments via a news release.

"I can say the closure happened today," Hannam said Friday.

"Staff at the Sandusky County Economic Development Corporation were made aware that Atlas Industries is ceasing operations Friday at its plants in Fremont and Tiffin, affecting about 100 workers in Sandusky County. While we are sorry to see this happen, we understand that the company was seeking capital to keep open but ultimately unable to continue its operations locally," Hannam said in a release.

A call seeking comment from Atlas Industries was not returned Friday.

Atlas Industries acquired its 1750 E. State St. location in 1971, using it for warehousing, before expanding in 1973 to include a machining facility, according to the company's website.

The Fremont plant has been expanded four different times with 58,000-square-feet of additions made to the facility. The plant now covers 138,000-square-feet on a 32-acre site.

Hannam said in the news release that the plant closure is a harsh reality to an "ever-changing economy."

She said SCEDC has been working with partners in Seneca County and OhioMeansJobs Sandusky County to hold a regional job fair from 11 a.m. to 3 p.m. Monday, Sept. 9, at the OhioMeansJobs building, 2511 Countryside Dr. in Fremont.

Hannam said 17 Sandusky County employers will be on hand for the job fair in addition to other regional firms. 

A rapid-response session for employees will be held from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. during the event.

"Our sympathy goes out to the employees of Atlas Industries and their families," Hannam saide.

cshoup@gannett.com

419-334-1035

Twitter: @CraigShoupNH