Local News

The End of an Era as Schutt Announces Plans to Leave Litchfield

Sat, 06 Mar 2021 17:13:12 CST
Devastating news as a key employer is leaving the area and a great source of civic pride as well. National sports helmet producer Litchfield based Schutt Sports has announced to employees their plans to leave Montgomery County as well as Salem. Schutt informed employees the company will move from Illinois to Indiana in phases throughout the year. CEO Robert Erb has expressed his strong desire to invite many of the Illinois employees to relocate with them to an Indianapolis suburb. He says those who move with the company will receive a relocation package to offset the cost of moving. Some employees who can't move will be able to stay on with the company in short and long term roles, while working from home. Erb says the decision to move has not been an easy one, but it is necessary. He says Schutt’s parent company, Kranos, tried without success to consolidate the facilities in Illinois. But he says the truth is that neither Salem nor Litchfield can support the ambitious plans to ramp up the growth of Schutt Sports LLC organically. Litchfield Mayor Steve Dougherty is disappointed with the news.... and when you hear the company tried without success to make changes in Illinois, he says the company didn't exactly have open ears to local officials, saying they would not communicate with the city in the two to three years since rumors surfaced about Schutt's future in Litchfield. Kranos’ financial issues led to the company filing for bankruptcy in December. Erb says the COVID pandemic, inefficiencies in operations due to the absence and inconsistency of critical temporary labor, an adverse patent judgment obtained by competitor Riddell.