Invacare to cut 110 positions

Elyria/North Ridgeville campus to lose 50

Invacare Corp on Dec. 7 announced cuts affecting jobs across North America.

Invacare eliminated 110 jobs, including 50 at the company’s headquarters at the Elyria/North Ridgeville campus, according to spokesperson Lara Mahoney.

The layoffs do not affect hourly associates at the Elyria manufacturing facility. Mahoney said the broad range in cuts — from customer service representatives, administrative positions, managers and more, leaves the headquarters with 540 associates. She said Invacare is still hiring employees at the manufacturing facility.

Through the last few years, Invacare has been going through a transformation in its North American business, Mahoney said. The company is a leading manufacturer and distributer for medical equipment and has cared for people with a wide range of challenges.

She said the reduction is expected to generate approximately $8.5 million in annualized pre-tax

savings. The company has been executing a multiyear strategic transformation of its overall approach to quality, product mix, commercial execution, supply chain and engineering.

Mahoney said they are launching their new TDX Superior Performance power-wheelchair and a new portable oxygen concentrator.

“Invacare is making good progress in its North America transformation. This reduction in force, while difficult, is an essential part of the second phase of our transformation toward becoming a more sustainably profitable, growing business,” said Matthew E. Monaghan, chairman, president and chief executive officer. “We are realigning our North America infrastructure with our new sales levels and finding more efficient ways to do business. Through this action, we are empowering employees to drive simplification and enhance customer engagement. We expect the result to lead to improved cost-effectiveness as we pursue growth.”

Mahoney said that making reductions is never an easy thing to do. However, she noted that all employees that have been have been laid off received transition assistance packages, severance outplacement services and other benefits.