More than 100 Charlotte region manufacturing workers to be laid off
More than 100 Solero Technologies manufacturing employees are losing their jobs in the Charlotte region.
The Rochester Hills, Michigan-based company will close its Shelby plant at 1100 Airport Road with 102 layoffs, effective March 31, according to a N.C. Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act report filed Monday with the North Carolina Department of Commerce. Layoffs will begin Nov. 28, according to the notice.
The 189,000-square-foot Cleveland County facility produces advanced valves, actuators, clutches, and controls for automotive, truck and off-road vehicles, according to Solero’s website.
Last October, Solero acquired the Shelby facility from Netherlands-based Kendrion’s automotive business for about $70 million.
Solero decided to consolidate and restructure operations by integrating the Shelby facility into the Water Valley, Mississippi, plant to improve competitiveness, according to Solero. Clutch production will move to the Markdorf plant in Germany.
The closing of the more than 50-year-old plant in Shelby was not a surprise as Solero announced its 18- to 24-month consolidation plan last November, Chris Byrd, Solero’s senior vice president of global human resources said in a statement Tuesday to The Charlotte Observer. In a letter to community officials last year, Byrd said the company would support employees affected by closure by partnering with local agencies to provide career transition resources.
Solero has about 1,400 employees worldwide, including five European plants in the Czech Republic, Germany and Romania. In 2022, Solero was acquired by Los Angeles-based private investment firm Atar Capital.
This story was originally published September 30, 2025 at 5:50 PM.
