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Nina Foundry, a maker of manhole covers and
other iron castings,
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announced that it plans to close its plant in
Lincoln, Nebraska by the end of the year.
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Nebraska Public Media reported that the company
intends to reopen the closed manufacturing
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facility as a distribution center on January
1st, 2026.
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Nina Foundry notified the state Labor
Department that 103 workers would lose
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their jobs as a result of the permanent
shutdown and noted that the non-union facility
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would not offer bumping rights.
It did not disclose how many people a
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distribution center will employ.
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The company stated that it reviewed its
production facilities and despite investing in
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the Lincoln location over the past 3 years,
determined that its operations had excess
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manufacturing capacity.
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It pointed to changes in the castings market,
including low cost imports from India that
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represent a meaningful percentage of the
domestic market.
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The Lincoln plant began operating in 1964 as
Deer Foundry,
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which Nina acquired in 1998.
According to the EPA,
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the site includes a two-story, nearly 72,000
square foot secondary iron casting foundry,
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two material storage buildings, material
storage areas on concrete pavement,
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and parking lots.
Nina currently operates two other manufacturing
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sites in Miami, Florida and in its hometown of
Nina, Wisconsin.
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The company’s website lists 12 distribution
centers.
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I’m Nolan Bastein.
This is Manufacturing Now.