128 temporary workers laid off from Whitehall Industries.

128 temporary workers laid off from Whitehall Industries.

LUDINGTON — Whitehall Industries recently laid off 128 temporary employees due to a decrease in production orders from Tesla, the electric car company that Whitehall Industries produces parts for.

Whitehall also temporarily shut down its Madison Street plant for four to six weeks but the company plans on re-hiring about 50 temporary positions through Manpower once the plant re-opens.

According to the company website, Whitehall Industries employs over 480 people with two plants in Ludington and one in Kentucky. The company, which began in 1974, is considered an industry leader in manufacturing automotive sunroom tracks. The company also makes other auto industry-related parts.

Bev Schultz, Ludington Manpower marketing manager, said the news about the layoffs was a “shocking and unexpected.” She said Manpower is working on finding new jobs for the laid off workers. “We’re trying really hard to re-deploy them.”

The Ludington Manpower provides temporary workers for employers in Mason, Manistee and Oceana counties. Schultz said some Mason County companies have expressed a need for up to 13 of the workers while an Oceana County company may be interested in hiring up to 13 of the laid-off workers.