Pratt & Whitney to Shut Nahariya Jet-Blade Plant After More Than 50 Years, Laying Off 600

Pratt & Whitney, the American aerospace giant, said on Monday that it will close its Blade Technology plant in Nahariya within a few weeks. The factory, founded more than 50 years ago by Steff Wertheimer, has already begun issuing dismissal letters to some of the 600 employees still on site after years of layoffs and shrinking operations.

The company decided in December 2022 to shut the facility, which it had bought after the Six-Day War, citing economic losses. Pratt & Whitney later chose to move the aircraft blade production line to the United States. Even when other companies expressed interest in buying the plant and keeping the workforce employed, the decision did not change, despite intervention attempts by the Knesset Finance Committee and the Economy Ministry. Management had kept production going beyond the original closure date because of higher demand and the quality of Israeli work, but the shutdown order now ends the workers’ effort to seek state-backed solutions.

Workers left the plant on Monday in distress. One veteran employee said, “I was not surprised it would happen, but when they hand you the letter, you get a punch in the stomach that cannot be explained.” She said the owners were supporting the staff, including courses, training, and meetings next month with employers from northern Israel, but added that she was devastated that there was no longer industry in her hometown. Another worker said the expanded severance and company support did not remove the uncertainty, asking, “What will happen? Where will we go?” She noted that her husband has worked there for 30 years and that at age 60 he must start over.

The workers say the state could have done more to preserve manufacturing in the city. The closure is also expected to affect a wide employment network in western Galilee, with former worker David Alon estimating that 5,000 residents in the region will be hurt, along with suppliers, transport companies, catering, logistics, and local purchasing. Work at the Tefen industrial zone will not be affected for now, as the closure only concerns the Nahariya site. Under previous agreements, the company will hold a job fair, provide tax advice at its own expense, and pay enhanced severance under the August 2023 deal.