Harman Plant Shut Down in Washington

Harman Plant Shut Down in Washington - The Missourian: Business News

Posted: Saturday, June 30, 2012 8:00 am

Only a skeleton crew of workers remained at the Harman plant in Washington Friday as the company held to its announcement more than a year ago that it would stop production here by the end of June 2012.

The plant has about 89,000 square feet on 23 landscaped acres in the Heidmann Industrial Park. It is for sale and has been listed with a St. Louis realtor for months. Prospects have looked at the facility, but as of Friday it had not be sold. Darren Lamb, city economic director, has been actively involved in trying to attract an industry to the plant.

The company assembled infotainment equipment for vehicles. At its height of production here, after beginning operations in 2006, the company employed more than 300 people. It worked three shifts at times.

The Missourian was told much of the equipment in the plant here was shipped to a Harman facility in Mexico. Some of the employees transferred to the Harman plant in Franklin, Ky.

The company invested a reported $60 million in the Washington plant.