Solero Technologies in Shelby, formerly known as Kendrion Automotive, will close its location on Airport Road next year, which will result in the elimination of 102 jobs, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) filed with the state.
The exact timing has not been determined, according to the notice, but it’s anticipated that the layoffs will take place between Nov. 28 and March 31, according to the company. Solero, based about 28 miles north of Detroit in Rochester Hills, Michigan, plans to shut down the entire plant in 2026.
Workers there are not a part of a union and bumping rights do not exist.
Solero acquired Kendrion Automotive in 2024 in a transaction valued at $71 million. The move increased Solero’s workforce to 1,400 employees worldwide. Kendrion had five locations across Europe in Czech Republic, Germany, Romania and Shelby. Solero was founded in 1972 and acquired in 2021 by Los Angeles-based private equity firm Atar Capital.
Kendrion had a 50-plus-year history in the Cleveland County town of Shelby, located about 40 miles west of Charlotte, according to a 2024 report in The Shelby Star.
Solero told employees when it acquired Kendrion that it would close the Shelby location. The company released the following statement Tuesday, attributed to Chris Byrd, Solero’s senior vice president of Global Human Resources.
“The WARN notice filed on September 29 by Solero for its facility in Shelby, North Carolina, is related to a decision the company made following its acquisition of Netherlands-based Kendrion’s automotive business last October. That acquisition included the Kendrion Automotive facility in Shelby, North Carolina, that currently employs 102 workers.
“All of the workers at the plant, along with key community stakeholders, were informed last year about the company’s plans to eventually close the facility. At the time, we communicated the need to restructure Shelby’s operations and integrate them into Solero’s existing manufacturing footprint over the next 18 to 24 months. That decision was necessary to align with the evolving needs of Solero in a very competitive market and best position our company for future growth.
“The legal disclosures provided to the state of North Carolina on Monday are in line with our previously announced plan. We expect to fully wind down the Shelby operations by the end of the first quarter of next year.”
Solero’s website reported that Shelby operations are being integrated into its Water Valley, Mississippi, plant to “streamline efficiency and ensure competitiveness.”
Solero’s website says the 189,000-square-foot Shelby plant employed at one time about 148 workers.
Solero took ownership of the 42.7-acre property on Dec. 31, 2024. It has a tax value of $3.1 million, according to Cleveland County tax records.