INDUSTRIAL DRIVES LAYS OFF 15

                         Roanoke Times
                 Copyright (c) 1995, Landmark Communications, Inc.

DATE: THURSDAY, April 8, 1993                   TAG: 9304080215
SECTION: CURRENT                    PAGE: NRV-1   EDITION: NEW RIVER VALLEY 
SOURCE: MICHAEL STOWE STAFF WRITER
DATELINE: RADFORD                                LENGTH: Short
INDUSTRIAL DRIVES LAYS OFF 15
Industrial Drives in Radford laid off 15 employees Wednesday, the company's president said.
Charles Perry said the layoffs were needed so the company could cut overhead and maintain its level of profitability.
The jobs eliminated were primarily management positions. Perry said he doesn't expect any more layoffs.
"We've addressed the situation and don't anticipate any further reduction in force," he said.
The layoffs were another economic blow - albeit a small one - to a New River Valley economy that has been hit hard by more than 2,000 layoffs at the Radford Army Ammunition Plant.
Wednesday's job cuts also come less than five months after the Inland Motors announced that its parent company, Kollmorgen Inc., was moving 20 new jobs to the plant.
Kollmorgen said it was restructuring its motion controls division and bringing jobs to Inland Motors.
The sales and marketing staffs of four Kollmorgen divisions - including Industrial Drives and Inland Motors in Radford - have merged to form the Kollmorgen Technologies group.
Perry said some new employees were hired, but Wednesday's layoffs drop employment to 185.
It's the first layoff at Industrial Drives, which manufactures motors, since August 1991 when 45 workers were let go.

by Bhavesh Jinadra by CNB