Fender has reportedly made over 300 employees at its California operation redundant, with the layoffs including everyone from production line workers to senior management positions.
According to unverified sources, a source stated that the workers making up the “entire afternoon shift” of Fender’s Corona, California factory were laid off, amounting to around 300 people – including the plant manager and assistant manager, and a number of the quality control team. This, Dylan states, reduces Fender’s production capacity by between 200-250 instruments a day.
The layoffs don’t seem to be limited to the factory floor, either, Brian Swerdfeger. was Fender’s vice president of research and design, and spearheaded the design of the Acoustasonic range.
Additionally, several other former employees, with roles ranging from graphic designers, recruiters, and communications managers, have taken to LinkedIn in recent days to share the news of their terminations.
“There are days that you always fear will come,” wrote one employee, “and today was mine. This morning I was laid off from my dream company, losing a team of remarkable people and a community I was honored to be a part of.”
On the Fender website’s careers page, there are currently 19 operations jobs with roles open, 18 of which are in the Corona factory. In May, there were only seven. The newly-recruiting jobs include robotics engineers, quality assurance inspectors, production planners, maintenance mechanics, and safety directors.
