Company chief: Foster's got it wrong on layoff number

A Thompson worker on the floor at their Old Dover Road facility in Rochester. (Courtesy/Thompson Investment Castings)

ROCHESTER - A recent article in an area newspaper greatly exaggerated the number of layoffs at Thompson Investment Casting, according to a Friday press release sent from the company to The Lebanon Voice.

Company President Tyler Stone said 33 were laid off, not the 53 as reported by fosters.com, which is published by the same company that publishes the Portsmouth Herald.

Stone also took exception with the newspaper mischaracterizing his company as a "gun foundry."

"While we enjoy doing business with our gun partners, we have customers in many business sectors from military applications to microwaves and medical businesses," Stone noted.

He added that the company located on Old Dover Road had grown its sales exponentially in the past several years, up 90 percent in 2015 and an additional 50 percent in 2016.

He said during that time the business hired 100 additional workers, but that recently the company took a hit when one of their customers experienced a downturn forcing the layoff.

Stone also said he was saddened and upset that the layoffs were necessary and hoped to have many of those affected recalled as soon as possible.

"My heart goes out to those families that lost their jobs (earlier this week)," he said. "My team is working hard to replace those lost sales, and hopefully we will be able to recall the displaced workers quickly."

Thompson Investment Castings formed shortly after Thompson Center Arms closed in 2011.