Porterville plant to close within two years, affecting 150 employees

PORTERVILLE, Calif. (KFSN) -- Below a busy Highway 190 in Porterville, is a 100,000 square-foot facility that Beckman Coulter has occupied for years.

The worldwide company develops and manufactures biomedical instruments, and many parts, such as circuit boards, are made in Porterville. But by the summer of 2019, Porterville city officials say the plant will be closed.

"There's over 800 different components that need to be transitioned and they anticipate that being a two year transition period," Porterville City Manager John Lollis said.

Production, to the city's disappointment, is going overseas.

In a statement, a company spokeswoman said:

"We announced last week to our associates in Porterville that we are selling the operations to Nypro, a new supplier. We are working with Nypro to transition production to one of their existing plants in Malaysia over the next two years. We are doing everything we can to support affected employees with the resources they need throughout and after the transition, including severance and outplacement resources."

"They've been heavily involved in our community and fundraising and every cancer walk and every blood drive, you'll see Beckman, Beckman employees actively involved," Lollis said.

Lollis says Beckman Coulter was Porterville's first major industry, and has called the city home for 52 years.

Many of its workers were long-term, and multi-generational.

Though he says they will have other job opportunities with Nypro, Lollis doesn't expect many employees will want to relocate. That's why he says there will be retraining options, and possible job opportunities at the Walmart distribution center, or the soon-to-be GreenPower Motor Company assembly facility.