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The employees at Powerblades Industries in Welland were blindsided by the news they’re out of a job. The German turbine blade manufacturer shut down abruptly on Monday. Mayor Frank Campion says the company told him work has simply evaporated.
136 employees worked at the plant and they say they were told not to speak to the media. But on Facebook, one worker said, “got called this morning for a meeting to tell us we had no job.” Another said, “worked there for two months. Met some great people, but unfortunately I knew the place would not last.”
Powerblades moved into the Rusholme Road plant 2 years ago. They were promising up to 200 jobs. It’s parent company Senvion had 6 wind farm projects on the go in Ontario. The rules said 60% of the turbine components needed to be local so Senvion set up Powerblades in Welland to comply with that 60% rule.
Powerblades made the 45 metre turbine blade, $35 million in inventory is still sitting on the property.
Welland has lost thousands of jobs over the past decade. As for the Powerblade workers, they’ve been offered a severance package that will pay them until January.