Williamsburg agriculture equipment manufacturer lays off 193 employees

Kinze Manufacturing, an agriculture equipment manufacturing company in Williamsburg, laid off 193 employees Thursday.

There were 815 employees at the Williamsburg location, according to the company. The Williamsburg location, at 2172 M Ave., is the company’s corporate headquarters as well as a factory, according to Kinze’s website.

According to the Iowa Workforce Development website, employees were notified Wednesday about layoffs Thursday.

In a statement Thursday, Susanne Veatch, Kinze’s president, said the layoff decision was “not made lightly” and is a result of the “current ag market realities.” No other layoffs are planned at this time, she said.

Kinze Manufacturing was founded in 1965 in Ladora and has locations throughout the United States, Canada, New Zealand and Australia. The company produces commercial and industrial farm equipment.

The layoffs are the latest example of the dropping demand for agricultural equipment as farmers cope with low commodity prices. Over the last year, John Deere has laid off over 2,000 employees in Eastern Iowa.

The most recent series of Deere layoffs were announced by the company earlier this week, with 170 layoffs in Dubuque, Johnston and Waterloo locations.

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