Posted on February 28, 2024
Mass layoffs continue across the freight and logistics industry, with companies in California, Illinois and Michigan recently announcing job reductions and facility closures.
DHL Supply Chain
Third-party logistics provider DHL Supply Chain is laying off 161 workers in Joliet, Illinois, as a result of losing a customer, according to a filing with the state.
Company officials did not name the customer in the filing, but the facility’s address is listed as a distribution facility for snack and candy manufacturer Mars Inc.
“We anticipate a majority of the associates will transition to a new employer assuming operational responsibility as of April 1,” DHL officials said in its filing with the Illinois Department of Commerce.
DHL Supply Chain is a division of Germany-based Deutsche Post DHL Group (XETRA: DHL.DE). The company employs over 600,000 people in more than 220 countries and territories.
Hillside Logistics LLC
Transportation and logistics provider Hillside Logistics announced it is closing a facility in Hillside, Illinois, resulting in 136 layoffs.
The facility is scheduled to close by April 30.
Company officials did not provide a reason for the closure and layoffs in its filing with the Illinois Department of Commerce. Officials did not return a request for comment from FreightWaves.
Hillside Logistics is a subsidiary of Need It Now Delivers LLC, a Flushing, New York-based family of companies operating in the last-mile logistics space. Need It Now Delivers, which has about 300 locations across the U.S., was acquired by contract logistics giant Geodis in 2022.
Ceva Logistics
Global logistics giant Ceva Logistics (NASDAQ: CEVA) is cutting 80 workers at a distribution facility in Romulus, Michigan, citing less business from Ford Motor Co.
“The mass layoff is a result of the reduction in business Ford Motor Co. is experiencing, as this site only supports Ford,” company officials said in a filing with the state. “Ceva only learned very recently of the need for this immediate closure.”
Last month, Ford said it would reduce the number of workers making its F-150 Lightning truck in Dearborn, Michigan, as demand for electric vehicles continues to decline, according to Fortune. About 1,400 total Ford employees are expected to be impacted by the job reduction.
Marseille, France-based Ceva Logistics employs about 110,000 workers globally and operates 1,300 facilities in more than 170 countries.
DXS Logistics
Last-mile provider DXS Logistics said it would no longer be operating an Amazon facility in Cypress, California, resulting in 80 workers being laid off.
The facility is scheduled to be permanently closed by April 15.
“We are writing to inform you that we will no longer be operating an Amazon Delivery Station in Cypress. This closure is expected to be permanent,” officials said in a filing with the Employment and Economic Development Department of California.
DXS Logistics is based in Downey, California. The company has 15 power units and 50 drivers, according to the Federal Motor Carrier Safety Administration.
Quad Logistics Services
Quad Logistics Services is closing a mail processing and distribution center in Bolingbrook, Illinois, laying off 74 workers by May 4, according to state filings.
Quad Logistics Services is a subsidiary of Quad (NYSE: QUAD), a marketing and magazine printing company based in Sussex, Wisconsin.
Officials for Quad recently announced that the company would close the Bolingbrook logistics facility, as well as a printing plant in Saratoga Springs, New York. The closure of the plant in Saratoga Springs will result in 435 employees being laid off.
“This is a strategic business decision that reflects several industry trends, including volume contractions in certain print categories like newsweeklies, as well as increases in postal costs, which Quad is offsetting through enhanced co-mail solutions that require centralized volumes for optimal processing,” Quad officials said in a Jan. 19 email to employees at its Saratoga Springs facility, according to The (Schenectady) Daily Gazette.
Work currently performed in the Bolingbrook distribution center will be transferred to Quad’s Sussex, and Martinsburg, West Virginia, facilities.
Universal Intermodal Services
Universal Intermodal Services is laying off 42 truck drivers at its facility in Fontana, California, according to state filings.
The company did not provide a reason for the layoffs, which will be completed by April 19. Officials did not immediately respond to a request for comment from FreightWaves.
Universal Intermodal Services is a division of Warren, Michigan-based Universal Logistics Holdings (NASDAQ: ULH). Universal Logistics is a truckload transportation, intermodal and logistics provider across the U.S, Mexico, Canada and Colombia. The company has more than 10,000 employees.
