Nashville Mayor speaks on the impact of Husqvarna closing

Husqvarna announced Monday afternoon that the company will be closing its production facility in Nashville by the end of 2024.

According to a report, 700 workers will be unemployed by the company’s decision. Officials stated they would be closing the Nashville plant and consolidating it with an operation in South Carolina.

The Swedish-based company issued its six-month interim report Tuesday morning, in which Husqvarna stated that it is consolidating its “global manufacturing footprint, with the discontinuing of the handheld production facility in Nashville.”

The closure was announced alongside Husqvarna posting an 11 percent rise in quarterly-adjusted operating profits on Tuesday. Part of that increase, the company stated in its interim report, is due to a reduction in its inventory. Husqvarna also posted a seven percent increase in net sales between January-June, 2023.

Nashville Mayor Larry Dunaway said the announcement came as a complete surprise to local officials.

Dunaway said the economic impact of Husqvarna’s departure is going to center on Nashville but spread across the entire region. The facility supports hundreds of workers but also a range of auxiliary companies that support Husqvarna’s operations in Nashville. Many of those workers travel from De Queen and other adjacent areas to Nashville each day.

Dunaway said his thoughts and those of other local and state government and economic leaders are with the affected workers. During a meeting with state economic officials in Little Rock Tuesday morning, Dunaway said the emphasis was on how to support those workers slated to lose their jobs next year.

The loss of a critical industry is always a significant blow, but especially for a small town like Nashville. However, Dunaway said he’s certain his community will weather the storm and that Husqvarna’s departure will open the door for another industry in the near future.

The Husqvarna Group closed its facilities in De Queen and Shreveport, La., in 2017. At that time, the De Queen-based warehouse employed just 18 people. The facility employed considerably more workers before then when it still served as a production site.