D.M.I. Industries is powering back at plants in Tulsa, Okla., Fargo, N.D., and Stevensville, Ontario, according to this post at Green Inc., a New York Times blog.
It's not looking good for other manufacturers either, according to the blog:
L.M. Glasfiber, a Danish turbine company, also announced 150 layoffs last week at a blade-making plant in Arkansas. And Gamesa, a Spanish turbine maker, said it was initiating layoffs at an Eastern Pennsylvania factory — though it was expanding a factory in the western part of the state, which can make larger blades.
The troubles of turbine manufacturers are mirrored in the solar industry, which has also suffered manufacturing layoffs recently.
This is troubling for the small towns that had seen these factories as a beacon of hope for the future. Like many other manufacturing woes, this has its genesis in the banking fiasco.
The wind business, which requires an enormous amount of capital investment, has been hit especially hard by troubles in the banking sector. Experts say that the number of big banks willing to invest in projects through the production tax credit has fallen sharply. Many wind-farm developers, from NextEra (formerly F.P.L. Energy) to the Texas oilman T. Boone Pickens, are cutting back on plans to expand their farms.
The wind industry hopes that the incoming administration and Congress will change the tax structure to make the production tax credit refundable, which would allow more companies to invest in it.
Thanks to Alexis Madrigal of Wired.com for passing along the news in his tweet.
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