Hubbell Inc., a Shelton-based electrical and electronic products manufacturer with deep roots in Connecticut, will shut down plants in Newtown and Bethel as it shifts work to factories it operates in other parts of the country.
About 200 jobs will be lost when the facilities close by the end of the year. Work at the Newtown facility is moving to a plant in Puerto Rico and work in Bethel is moving to Alabama.
“This closure, and the Bethel closure announced earlier this month, is part of an ongoing operational efficiency initiative that involves Hubbell operations across the company,” the company said in a written statement Tuesday.
Hubbell was founded in Connecticut in 1888 by Harvey Hubbell, an inventor and entrepreneur whose best-known inventions are the electrical plug and the pull-chain light socket. It’s grown to have 19,700 employees worldwide and posted revenue of $4.5 billion in 2018.
The company branched out into the so-called internet of things with the acquisition of Avon-based iDevices in 2017. iDevices manufactures internet-connected devices that run appliances and equipment in the house and the workplace, like a light switch or thermostat that can be controlled via smartphone.
With the closure of the plants in Newtown and Bethel, Hubbell will continue to retain more than 650 jobs in Connecticut.
“Connecticut is our home,” the company said. “In addition to our corporate headquarters in Shelton and other smaller sites in Winsted and Mystic, we have just invested in a new facility in Avon for our iDevices brand, which focuses on smart technologies, a growing focus for our company.”
The Newtown location opened in 1960 and currently houses commercial and industrial wiring device manufacturing. Approximately 140 people work there, Hubbell said. The Bethel facility employs 54 people, according to a notice filed with the Department of Labor earlier this month.
Hubbell said it has no plans to relocate its company headquarters, noting that it “has just renewed the lease” for its Shelton offices.
But with the news following the recent announcement by United Technologies Corp. that its moving its headquarters and about 100 jobs from Farmington to the Boston area as it merges with defense contractor Raytheon Co. Republicans in the state legislature said Hubbell’s decision to close the two plants should serve as “a wake-up call” to Gov. Ned Lamont and Democrats in the state legislature.
“No more political spin,” said Sen. Tony Hwang, a Fairfield Republican whose district includes Newtown. “Admit and address the fact that our predicament reflects a continuing trend that is not working.”
Hwang noted that Connecticut shed 1,500 jobs in May and has recovered just 80.8 percent of the jobs lost in the Great Recession. “These numbers speak volumes,” he said. “We have got to become more friendly to businesses large and small in this state.”
Recently signed legislation to increase Connecticut’s minimum wage to $15 an hour and create a paid family and medical leave program “have the potential to really have a negative impact on jobs in Connecticut,” Hwang said.
A spokeswoman for Lamont countered that Hubbell’s plans had been in the works for more than a year.
“Just as state government must modernize and streamline its processes to better serve its customers, so too, does Hubbell,” said Maribel La Luz, Lamont’s communications director. “This strategic realignment was set into motion over a year ago. Hubbell renewed their lease for their headquarters, over 650 jobs will remain in Connecticut and, with its recent purchase of iDevices in Avon, Hubbell continues to evolve its product offerings and technology and grow its presence here. We look forward to deepening our longstanding relationship with this Connecticut mainstay.”
Russell Blair can be reached at rblair@courant.com.
