Medford OR USA loses MFG plant

Medford Oregon usually known to this forum for Tucker, is losing another well known (to their industry) manufacturing facility. Kathrine - Scala a large antenna engineering and manufacturing plant employing 80+ people will close next year. The operations are being moved to Mexico.

Scala was founded in 1954 in SF, moved in 1979 to Medford. In 2000 they were bought by Kathrein a German RF Engineering firm.

Scala was to the RF industry much like Tucker is to the Snow industry: Speciality equipment and customer service.

Sad

TEW

Hate when that happens.

I've not been to Oregon in about a dozen years, and know almost nothing about the business climate of the state. Is it a high tax, high labor rate, high regulation state? Or is it business friendly? Just curious what the motivation was by the parent company to move.

I would think Medford would be in a relatively conservative area of the state. However, the state tends to be ruled by Democrats since the main population is in Portland, OR and it's chocked full of leftists. The small dense metro area likes to ruin the rest of the state (they consider it their weekend play ground).

Looked up Oregon and it ranks pretty good for its "business climate" so I'm suspecting that is not the major reason. (within the top 1/3rd in the nation)

My guess is that the new multi-national firm that purchased the company has plants in Mexico already? Probably consolidating manufacturing facilities into lower regulation/lower labor cost areas?

Found a press release the CEO says Medford is too remote. I'm not buying it. Major interstate, fair to good rail service, Air Freight available. I'm betting on regulatory, and cost of employees. At one time they employed over 200.

Anyone want a large manufacturing plant?