Genie cuts 15 jobs in Moses Lake

MOSES LAKE — Genie Industries in Moses Lake laid off 15 workers Tuesday, citing the economic uncertainty “causing its customers to rethink its purchases for the year,” company spokesperson Melinda Zimmerman-Smith said.

Worldwide, Genie cut 400 positions total, she said.

The company is reducing the size of its team to meet the current demands of its customers, she explained.

Their customers are primarily construction rental yards, and construction is a cyclical industry, she says.

The company’s products include booms, Terex trailers and generators.

No company locations were closed Tuesday, but Zimmerman-Smith said she couldn’t comment if locations would be closed in the future.

“We’re evaluating everything,” she commented.

Genie started manufacturing the Z135 line in Moses Lake in April and no additional employees were added for the new work, she said.

According to a company statement, “These (Tuesday’s) actions will decrease our global workforce by approximately 11 percent. Even with a reduced staff, we will continue to provide the high level of service that our customers have come to expect and appreciate over the last 42 years.”

Genie now employees 2,400 people worldwide.

“As a company, we are financially sound,” Zimmerman-Smith noted.

Genie is a subsidiary of the publicly traded Terex Corporation.

Terex reported a net loss of $77.6 million during the second quarter of 2009, or 78 cents per share, according to a company press release.

Net sales decreased by 55 percent, or $1.6 million, from second quarter 2008 to second quarter 2009, according to the company.