Indiana aluminum-parts maker to lay off 60

A Southern Indiana manufacturer of aluminum components used in the automotive, recreational vehicle, office furniture and sporting goods industries has told state labor officials that it will lay off 60 employees starting in late July and early August. Altec LLC, at 242 America Place in Jeffersonville, has 168 employees, according to the Dun & Bradstreet business information service. Company Vice President Larry Lassiter declined yesterday to comment on the layoff notice, which was filed with the Indiana Department of Workforce Development. Altec President Mike Mackin, who signed the notice, didn't return several calls. Eric Schansberg, an economics professor at Indiana University Southeast, said the Altec notice was filed somewhat late in the recession, with economists starting to report some early signs of a recovery. But with General Motors going into bankruptcy reorganization yesterday and cutbacks in a number of industries for which Altec provides aluminum components, he said, it's still possible that layoffs are another emerging part of the national picture. Other Southern Indiana manufacturers tied to the automotive industry announced job cuts earlier in the year. They include Icon Metal Forming LLC of Corydon, which said last month that it was permanently laying off 140 employees because of cutbacks at GM, and Beach Mold and Tool Inc. in New Albany, which laid off 193 employees in January, citing the slowdown in the auto industry. Since 2001, Altec has been a subsidiary of Interlock Industries Inc. of Louisville. Interlock is owned by the Mackin family, which also is active in horse racing through its Lucky Seven Stable. Two years ago, union workers at another company plant, Ohio Valley Aluminum in Shelbyville, Ky., walked out for 10 weeks in a high-profile labor dispute. Interlock Industries has sales of about $700 million a year and about 2,000 employees at more than 20 plants around the country. source：www.courier-journal.com