Master Lock first arrange shop in Milwaukee in 1921, and the brand has had a footprint in Wisconsin that has continued for greater than 100 years. Nonetheless, it seems that legacy is coming to a somewhat sudden end.
Things began to vary in May 2023, when the corporate announced plans to shutter Master Lock’s manufacturing operations in Milwaukee by March 2024. The corporate shifted work to other locations and external suppliers, and a few 330 employees lost their jobs. While the corporate ceased manufacturing operations, it maintained its corporate headquarters in Oak Creek, a Milwaukee suburb.
Now, Master Lock is leaving Wisconsin entirely. On Wednesday, the corporate’s parent, Fortune Brands Innovations, announced the closure of its Oak Creek headquarters because it consolidates operations in Illinois.
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In response to WPR, some 120 people work at the ability and may have the choice to maintain their jobs—though their positions can be relocated to Deerfield, a Chicago suburb about 60 miles south of Oak Creek.
Fortune Brands says it is consolidating U.S. regional offices into one campus headquarters in Deerfield to “best position the corporate and its brands for long-term growth.”
Fortune Brands CEO Nicholas Fink says, “Bringing together associates from across all our brands and functions into one state-of-the-art campus will help us to bring innovations and products to life faster, while also making the organization more efficient and aligned.”
The brand new headquarters will occupy two buildings in Deerfield. In response to the corporate, it picked Illinois for the expansion investment due to incentives offered through the state’s Economic Development for a Growing Economy (EDGE) program.
Fortune Brands will receive an EDGE tax credit following an investment that creates not less than 400 latest full-time jobs and retains the 128 full-time jobs already in Deerfield. The precise investment amounts and square footage requirements were redacted within the EDGE agreement made public.
By the tip of 2027, Fortune expects its Deerfield campus to have capability for greater than 1,000 jobs.
Fortune Brands says its U.S. manufacturing facilities, distribution centers, sales offices and international sites will proceed operations as usual, including the corporate’s digital-focused office in San Francisco.