ELYRIA – Bendix Commercial Vehicle Systems laid off or furloughed 100 salaried employees Friday.

The Elyria-based business lost 100 employees companywide, including workers in Indiana, Kentucky, Mexico, Canada and places “all across North America,” said Bendix spokeswoman Barbara Gould.

A large portion of the employees cut were from Elyria`s 901 Cleveland St. location, Gould said, adding she couldn`t give more specific statistics on Elyria`s losses.

“We very much value the contributions the individuals who`ve been impacted made to our organization,” Gould said. “For the furloughed employees, it is our hope, dependent upon economic conditions, to call these people back.

“For all of them, we are providing outplacement services, life management services and access to our employee assistance program. We`re trying to give them as much support as we can.”

Mayor Bill Grace said the layoffs are the latest “unfortunate reflection” of a terrible national economy.

“This will affect our revenues and that will continue our challenge,” Grace said. “But I`m mostly concerned for the individuals and families directly affected by this.”

Bendix designs and manufactures charging and control systems for commercial vehicles as well as active vehicle safety systems, Gould said.

“The layoffs are a direct result of the economic conditions in the U.S. as well as across the globe and their direct result on the commercial vehicle industry,” she said. “New truck build is at an all-time historic low, and it`s affected all aspects of the commercial vehicle industry across the country.”

The continued rising unemployment is frustrating to city administrators, Grace said.

“All national projections suggest unemployment numbers will continue to climb through the end of this year and into next year,” Grace said. “In the meantime, we have to continue reducing expenses as well as look for ways to join forces with other communities and the county to look for opportunities to consolidate services.”

Approximately 400 employees remain on the company`s payroll in Elyria. Grace said even though business opportunities are “extremely limited,” his administration realizes the importance of continued efforts to create jobs.

“We`re doing everything we can to nurture company expansion,” he said. “And for those (businesses) looking for another location – we`re trying to accommodate them in our city.”

Contact Alicia Castelli at 329-7144 or acastelli@chroniclet.com.

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