Longtime Springfield Business to Lay Off Nearly 200 Workers

Smithfield, a dry sausage facility open since 1936, will close its Springfield plant and transfer production to other facilities.

Published on Feb. 9, 2026

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Nearly 200 workers at Smithfield's Springfield, Massachusetts production facility will be laid off starting in April 2026, with the plant closing by September. The company cited "changed business requirements" as the reason for the closure and mass layoff, which is being handled in accordance with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act.

Why it matters

The closure of Smithfield's Springfield plant, which has operated in the city for nearly a century, will have a significant economic impact on the local community. The layoffs represent a major loss of manufacturing jobs in the region.

The details

Smithfield, a nationwide dry sausage producer, will lay off 190 workers from its Carando Drive plant in Springfield starting on April 10, 2026. Production at the plant will end on August 21, 2026, and the facility will fully close by September 11, 2026. The layoffs are being handled in accordance with the WARN Act, which requires 60 days' notice for mass layoffs. Just last month, the Springfield plant was fined $138,000 by the EPA for violations of the Clean Air Act.

  • The layoffs are expected to begin on or about April 10, 2026.
  • Production at the plant will end on or about August 21, 2026.
  • The activities necessary to fully empty and close the plant will continue through on or about September 11, 2026.

The players

Smithfield Packaged Meats Corp.

A nationwide dry sausage producer that has operated a facility in Springfield, Massachusetts since 1936.

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What’s next

The company has stated that employees may inquire about job opportunities at other Smithfield locations, but will not be able to displace or bump other employees at another facility.

The takeaway

The closure of Smithfield's longtime Springfield plant represents a significant economic loss for the local community, with nearly 200 manufacturing jobs being eliminated. The layoffs highlight the challenges facing traditional industries in the region as business requirements change.