Iconic Nebraska company sends production to China

It was released today that Irwin Tools will close its plant in DeWitt, NE and move production to China. The plant employed 330 people.

Originally known as Peterson Manufacturing, the small southeast Nebraska town of 570 was the birthplace of the now famous Vise-Grip.

It's hard to imagine the impact that the closure will have on this small community, as well as the surrounding area. From a merely physical standpoint, the plant itself is massive and covers multiple city blocks. It's unlikely that this structure will ever see full use ever again. What does a small town do with something that large? Furthermore, one has only to think of the economic and social implications that this unfortunate move brings with it.

Shame on Irwin Tools for sacrificing American jobs and the rural Nebraskan way of life all in the name of cheap labor, which ultimately will result in a shoddy product.

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