Blackhawk Foundry & Machine Co., 323 S. Clark St., Davenport, has laid off about 30 employees, company president Jim Grafton said Monday. And that action came after about 10-20 previous employees were laid off in the past two months, he said. “We had two different groups in the past two to three months,” he said. “The last go-around was 30 people, one to two weeks ago. “Typically, this is our slow time of the year. But we try not to lay people off. We are at the mercy of the economy. This is quite a different situation for us.” He said at one time last year, the company had 240-245 people. As of Monday, 193 were employed there. “Some left because of attrition,” he said, in addition to the layoffs. Grafton said the plant also is on a reduced work schedule. “It is a tough environment,” he said. “We don’t anticipate going any further (with layoffs). Hopefully, we will get by with reduced hours.” According to its Web site, Blackhawk Foundry has produced iron castings since 1920. It originally was a division of Voss Manufacturing Co. that produced and sold appliances. Later, it was purchased by the Grafton family. It now has customers in manufacturing, agriculture and construction, producing castings for products such as electrical motors, diesel engines, engine components, conveyor systems, valves and pumps, according to the Web site.
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