Many voters cited the lackluster economy as a reason why they came out to the polls a few days ago for the presidential primary. The reality of those concerns could be seen locally Thursday.

The local Delta Faucet plant, a key company in the MASCO Corporation, laid off approximately 95 full-time hourly employees Thursday morning. The lay off is the third this year and the fifth since late 2006.

According to Manager of Corporate Communications and Public Relations Paula Warner, the lay off is another move to combat the languishing housing market.

“The housing market and the overall economy remain weak and continue to soften demand for faucets and other durable goods. The reduction at Greensburg was a difficult decision made necessary by market forces. It helps us align faucet production with demand and maintain our competitive position,” she said.

She said seniority and skill set went into determining which employees were let go. Delta offered financial assistance, which according to affected employees translated into two weeks severance pay, and assured them they had call back rights if and when the “market conditions allow the recall of workers.”

Warner said Delta has been trying to combat the trend with different and innovative ideas. Through creative thinking and cross-training its workforce, Delta hopes to weather the storm caused by the dramatic down slide of the housing market.

“We are getting through this downturn in the housing market in a number of ways,” Warner said. “Delta Faucet Company has for many years used lean manufacturing concepts to make more efficient use of resources and increase productivity. We also train plant employees on an on-going basis to provide them with new and advanced skills increasing knowledge and flexibility to work in a variety of jobs.”

By providing employees with a broader range of skills, Warner said Delta hopes to maximize it’s workforce while expanding the employees’ abilities.

That workforce, however, is not as large as it once was. The recent cuts, which included hourly and salary employees at the beginning of the year, have left Decatur County’s one-time biggest employer with 630 working in the local facility. It’s still are large employer, but with Honda and other factories gaining more attention and employing more people, many fear Delta will fall by the wayside and disappear from the county’s economic landscape completely. Warner said this was not in the company’s mind and planned to call Decatur County home for many years to come.

“The Greensburg facility is a key component of our future plans for Delta Faucet Company. We’ve expanded our research facilities there and many of our best selling products are made there,” she said.