Zimmer Cuts Jobs in Warsaw

Almost 50 full time employees have lost their jobs at Zimmer Holdings, Inc.’s Warsaw, Indiana, operations.

The Journal Gazette of Ft. Wayne, Indiana, reported on May 10, 2013 that Zimmer cut less than 50 full-time jobs at its Kosciusko County operation, which employed about 1, 500 as of December 31, 2012. Worldwide, the company employs over 9, 300 workers in more than 25 countries.

Garry Clark, the company’s spokesman, told the Gazette that the job reductions were made May 9 across corporate and operational functions but didn’t include Warsaw production workers.

He said the company has been restructuring itself to position it for sustained growth.

“These programs have enabled Zimmer to increase the productivity of our new product development programs and better meet the needs of our customers. As part of these ongoing efforts, the company today implemented certain actions that resulted in employee reductions across its businesses and geographic segments. All affected employees will be supported with a range of severance and outplacement benefits, ” said Clark.

Local media noted that the new medical device tax was a concern to local leaders about future job cuts. Zimmer’s CEO Dave Dvorak is head of AdvaMed, the largest trade group of medical device makers and has been critical of the tax. However, the company did not cite the tax as a reason for the job cuts.