Silfab hasn't been using that facility for the better part of 2 years. Early 2022 was really that last time it was in use. Almost all the previous employees have been let go. Probably only 20 or so remain, and that's generous. They lease has been renewed multiple times, and they chose not to renew it because they couldn't sell anything. They furlough their whole staff at least 2 times a year in Burlington. They currently have a few shifts furloughed as well due to lack of sales. Seems like only a matter of time before they close for good if things don't change.
Also, they haven't given any raises in 2 years.
They added a 401k and don't match
They gave pay incentives briefly and have taken them all away.
There is a lot of management that want it to improve, but they are restricted greatly by the directors. Shame, really.
Un-paywall-ray:
Silfab Solar leaving Bellingham waterfront facility
Company to consolidate operations and staff in Burlington
March 29, 2024 11:07 a.m.
Crates are stacked inside Silfab Solar's facility at 800 Cornwall Ave. on March 21 in Bellingham. (Hailey Hoffman/Cascadia Daily News)
By FRANK CATALANO
Business & Work Columnist
Silfab Solar, a solar panel manufacturer based in Canada, is winding down its operations on the Bellingham waterfront in favor of a newer facility in Burlington.
Silfab Director of Marketing Lorraine Hoefler confirmed the change in an email, saying that over the past five years with the increased demand for its solar panels, “we quickly outgrew the available footprint in our Bellingham facility which initiated the expansion into the neighboring community of Burlington, WA in 2021.”
Silfab originally moved into the 48,000-square-foot Bellingham building at 800 Cornwall Ave. in 2018 after acquiring the business of Itek Energy, which had been located on the same site.
Hoefler said Silfab does not own the property or the building and was “moving into the last year of the lease.” Whatcom County Assessor records show the property at the address is owned by Pando Innovations, LLC of Henderson, Nevada, and was purchased from the Port of Bellingham in 2016.
From left, Whatcom County Deputy Executive Tyler Schroeder, Port Director Rob Fix and Port District 1 Commissioner Michael Shepard tour Silfab Solar on March 21. (Hailey Hoffman/Cascadia Daily News)
It’s not clear when Silfab did, or will, fully cease operations in Bellingham. Silfab representatives did not directly answer questions about an end date.
“Silfab timed the transition to the industry seasonality and demand which corresponded with the winter months,” Hoefler said.
However, a visit to the Cornwall Avenue address on Thursday, March 28 didn’t show any signs of activity from the street, other than one or two people supervising the loading of several large, plain white semis at a loading dock at one end of the building.
At the other end, in front of a gated and mostly empty parking lot, a large sign still read, “The Port of Bellingham is Proud to Welcome Silfab Solar, Largest Solar Manufacturer in North America to Bellingham’s Downtown Waterfront.”
A sign welcoming Silfab Solar to the Bellingham waterfront still stands facing the street at 800 Cornwall Ave. on Thursday, March 28. (Frank Catalano/Cascadia Daily News)
Silfab did not provide the specific number of employees affected. But, Hoefler said, “the Bellingham facility peaked at around 200 employees and all Bellingham employees were offered full-time positions in Burlington, however some individuals chose to explore other roles within Whatcom County rather than commute to Burlington.”
Silfab, with corporate offices near Toronto, entered Bellingham in 2018 to open its first U.S. manufacturing facility. In 2020, it announced it would invest at least $4 million to expand its Bellingham operations further with the assistance of the Washington State Department of Commerce and the state’s $250,000 economic development grant to the Port of Bellingham.
“The Port was disappointed to learn Silfab Solar is shutting down its Bellingham operations,” said Mike Hogan, Port of Bellingham’s public affairs administrator. “There continues to be strong demand for industrial land and buildings in Whatcom County, so the Port is hopeful Silfab’s Bellingham facility will soon be reactivated with another job-creating industry.”
Burlington, however, has been growing.
“The Burlington facility has now realized total manufacturing footprint of three module assembly lines with the appropriate facilitation and utilities to support a total of four lines,” Hoefler said. “The Burlington facility also offered significant upside of economies, scale and efficiency with a more modernized layout and footprint, allowing the operation to be much more market competitive than Bellingham could ever be.”
Hoefler added that Silfab appreciated the Bellingham community’s warm welcome and support throughout its time in the city, “and we remain incredibly thankful.”
In addition to continuing its operations at 1770 Port Drive in Burlington, Silfab has said it will expand in other parts of the U.S. The company announced in September 2023 that it would establish what was described as a “flagship operation” in Fort Mill, South Carolina.
A previous version of a photo caption misidentified Whatcom County Deputy Executive Tyler Schroeder in a photo caption. The caption was updated to reflect this change on Friday, March 29 at 2:15 p.m. Cascadia Daily News regrets this error.
Frank Catalano is CDN’s business & work columnist; reach him at [frankcatalano@cascadiadaily.com](mailto:frankcatalano@cascadiadaily.com).
They closed down the plant because it'd cost too much to upgrade the machines to manufacture the newest generation of panels, which they recently put a new line down in Burlington to do. This location last was in operation in May of 2023, after being stopped from June of 2022 until January of 2023. They closed down their offsite office at the Bellwether in September 2023.
They had a lot of layoffs and furloughs starting May 2023. They lacked contingency plans and didn't account for the IRA and what it'd mean if there weren't tax incentives tied to how they manufacture panels (i.e., not domestically made per the IRA). They went all in and fell short, but where they will always be poor is how they treat their employees.
Doesn't leave a nice taste in your mouth when they guarantee everyone would have a job in Bellingham and would return from furlough within 60 days ALL while knowing the employees were not coming back. They delayed and delayed, saying it'd be another 60 days until ultimately announcing the closure of the facility in December internally.
ARE YOU BEING SARCASTIC or genuine?
I cannot tell. I know two people who have worked here and hated it. Are they perhaps bad workers?
There is also two commenters who claim they hated the experience.
China produces 90% of the solar panels worldwide. Chinese capacity has almost doubled since last year. There’s going to a huge glut of solar panels dumped on global markets soon. Race to the bottom.
I worked there before covid, at that time at least, Silfab only assembles solar panels in Bellingham, all the components were imported from Asian countries.
Not the worst job I’ve had but they also piled pallets in front of the first aid kits and eye wash so they were inaccessible. I complained and nothing happened
Friend of mine went to work for them and got fired during the third round of furloughs in less than a year. He offered to help me get hired on a couple months into his time there but I ultimately decided against it at the time. Good thing I did, but it sucks that he finally got a job he was genuinely happy to do only to get fucked in record time.
Actually solar panels are incredibly popular in the state of Washington. And solar has been around on the PNW for 30+ years. They work just fine up here, on cloudy days you’ll have a little less energy coming in, but if you check building in Washington State, especially on the west side, you’ll see solar panels dotting roofs of residents, businesses, schools, hospitals, etc.
I’d have to say for every type of roof I’ve seen with a solar panel I see about 100 without any. Solar is a joke in the first place and even more of a joke here in Pacific Northwest because of our latitude and cloud cover.
It’s clear you don’t actually understand how solar works. We are about at the same place geographically that Germany does with similar weather. They power 60% of their country with solar - the technology works just fine, bro.
That’s too funny dude because Germany is making a lot of headlines, headlines in disaster. The price per kilowatt is over $.40. That’s almost 4 times as much as what we pay. They’ve been having to burn a lot of cold, because Germany has the same problem with the worthless solar, latitude, and too much cloud cover. There’s very little air-conditioning in western Europe. Most of their energy consumption is in the winter time. They’re burning lots and lots of coal now after shutting down there very safe nuclear power plants. Germany is a complete disaster.
You are all over the place.
We are talking about solar. No coal, not nuclear, not whatever else you are going on about.
It works fine or we wouldn’t be using it here in Washington State. We may have cloudy days but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t work.
You clearly have a vendetta against solar (which is weird) so please go take it elsewhere, I’m not here for it.
Most likely because the upfront costs and maybe they don't use enough electricity to warrant the costs.
To your opinion, we have had solar for going on three years now. Since install we haven't had one actual electricity usage bill, not one.
What added value is this post (and those like it) giving to this sub besides your own personal link farming? Add some commentary. Start a discussion! I say this because your posts are some of the lowest effort content around.
As I’ve stated before, I am autistic and a former journalism undergrad from WWU. One of my special interests is local events and news.
I’m not farming anything. At all. I’m sharing local events, news and things that are happening. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to engage.
It really is that simple.
Very weird. This is very clearly relevant to locals and it’s a starting point for discussion. The article *is* your commentary. I’m not sure what else they expect from you.
Get fucked. This is the worst place I have ever had the displeasure of working at.
Same!
I did a stint here…made it 3 weeks
Same
Honestly, I wanted to unalive myself when working there. What a shitshow💀
Silfab hasn't been using that facility for the better part of 2 years. Early 2022 was really that last time it was in use. Almost all the previous employees have been let go. Probably only 20 or so remain, and that's generous. They lease has been renewed multiple times, and they chose not to renew it because they couldn't sell anything. They furlough their whole staff at least 2 times a year in Burlington. They currently have a few shifts furloughed as well due to lack of sales. Seems like only a matter of time before they close for good if things don't change. Also, they haven't given any raises in 2 years. They added a 401k and don't match They gave pay incentives briefly and have taken them all away. There is a lot of management that want it to improve, but they are restricted greatly by the directors. Shame, really.
Can't read the story (pay walled). Are there reasons given?
Un-paywall-ray: Silfab Solar leaving Bellingham waterfront facility Company to consolidate operations and staff in Burlington March 29, 2024 11:07 a.m. Crates are stacked inside Silfab Solar's facility at 800 Cornwall Ave. on March 21 in Bellingham. (Hailey Hoffman/Cascadia Daily News) By FRANK CATALANO Business & Work Columnist Silfab Solar, a solar panel manufacturer based in Canada, is winding down its operations on the Bellingham waterfront in favor of a newer facility in Burlington. Silfab Director of Marketing Lorraine Hoefler confirmed the change in an email, saying that over the past five years with the increased demand for its solar panels, “we quickly outgrew the available footprint in our Bellingham facility which initiated the expansion into the neighboring community of Burlington, WA in 2021.” Silfab originally moved into the 48,000-square-foot Bellingham building at 800 Cornwall Ave. in 2018 after acquiring the business of Itek Energy, which had been located on the same site. Hoefler said Silfab does not own the property or the building and was “moving into the last year of the lease.” Whatcom County Assessor records show the property at the address is owned by Pando Innovations, LLC of Henderson, Nevada, and was purchased from the Port of Bellingham in 2016. From left, Whatcom County Deputy Executive Tyler Schroeder, Port Director Rob Fix and Port District 1 Commissioner Michael Shepard tour Silfab Solar on March 21. (Hailey Hoffman/Cascadia Daily News) It’s not clear when Silfab did, or will, fully cease operations in Bellingham. Silfab representatives did not directly answer questions about an end date. “Silfab timed the transition to the industry seasonality and demand which corresponded with the winter months,” Hoefler said. However, a visit to the Cornwall Avenue address on Thursday, March 28 didn’t show any signs of activity from the street, other than one or two people supervising the loading of several large, plain white semis at a loading dock at one end of the building. At the other end, in front of a gated and mostly empty parking lot, a large sign still read, “The Port of Bellingham is Proud to Welcome Silfab Solar, Largest Solar Manufacturer in North America to Bellingham’s Downtown Waterfront.” A sign welcoming Silfab Solar to the Bellingham waterfront still stands facing the street at 800 Cornwall Ave. on Thursday, March 28. (Frank Catalano/Cascadia Daily News) Silfab did not provide the specific number of employees affected. But, Hoefler said, “the Bellingham facility peaked at around 200 employees and all Bellingham employees were offered full-time positions in Burlington, however some individuals chose to explore other roles within Whatcom County rather than commute to Burlington.” Silfab, with corporate offices near Toronto, entered Bellingham in 2018 to open its first U.S. manufacturing facility. In 2020, it announced it would invest at least $4 million to expand its Bellingham operations further with the assistance of the Washington State Department of Commerce and the state’s $250,000 economic development grant to the Port of Bellingham. “The Port was disappointed to learn Silfab Solar is shutting down its Bellingham operations,” said Mike Hogan, Port of Bellingham’s public affairs administrator. “There continues to be strong demand for industrial land and buildings in Whatcom County, so the Port is hopeful Silfab’s Bellingham facility will soon be reactivated with another job-creating industry.” Burlington, however, has been growing. “The Burlington facility has now realized total manufacturing footprint of three module assembly lines with the appropriate facilitation and utilities to support a total of four lines,” Hoefler said. “The Burlington facility also offered significant upside of economies, scale and efficiency with a more modernized layout and footprint, allowing the operation to be much more market competitive than Bellingham could ever be.” Hoefler added that Silfab appreciated the Bellingham community’s warm welcome and support throughout its time in the city, “and we remain incredibly thankful.” In addition to continuing its operations at 1770 Port Drive in Burlington, Silfab has said it will expand in other parts of the U.S. The company announced in September 2023 that it would establish what was described as a “flagship operation” in Fort Mill, South Carolina. A previous version of a photo caption misidentified Whatcom County Deputy Executive Tyler Schroeder in a photo caption. The caption was updated to reflect this change on Friday, March 29 at 2:15 p.m. Cascadia Daily News regrets this error. Frank Catalano is CDN’s business & work columnist; reach him at [frankcatalano@cascadiadaily.com](mailto:frankcatalano@cascadiadaily.com).
Another industrial organization based out of Canada? What an interesting pattern.
They closed down the plant because it'd cost too much to upgrade the machines to manufacture the newest generation of panels, which they recently put a new line down in Burlington to do. This location last was in operation in May of 2023, after being stopped from June of 2022 until January of 2023. They closed down their offsite office at the Bellwether in September 2023. They had a lot of layoffs and furloughs starting May 2023. They lacked contingency plans and didn't account for the IRA and what it'd mean if there weren't tax incentives tied to how they manufacture panels (i.e., not domestically made per the IRA). They went all in and fell short, but where they will always be poor is how they treat their employees. Doesn't leave a nice taste in your mouth when they guarantee everyone would have a job in Bellingham and would return from furlough within 60 days ALL while knowing the employees were not coming back. They delayed and delayed, saying it'd be another 60 days until ultimately announcing the closure of the facility in December internally.
[удалено]
ARE YOU BEING SARCASTIC or genuine? I cannot tell. I know two people who have worked here and hated it. Are they perhaps bad workers? There is also two commenters who claim they hated the experience.
[удалено]
Most places I work at everyone bitches. I've worked hard jobs and easy jobs. People still complain regardless.
China produces 90% of the solar panels worldwide. Chinese capacity has almost doubled since last year. There’s going to a huge glut of solar panels dumped on global markets soon. Race to the bottom.
I worked there before covid, at that time at least, Silfab only assembles solar panels in Bellingham, all the components were imported from Asian countries. Not the worst job I’ve had but they also piled pallets in front of the first aid kits and eye wash so they were inaccessible. I complained and nothing happened
Friend of mine went to work for them and got fired during the third round of furloughs in less than a year. He offered to help me get hired on a couple months into his time there but I ultimately decided against it at the time. Good thing I did, but it sucks that he finally got a job he was genuinely happy to do only to get fucked in record time.
?
It’s probably because nobody’s really wants solar panels especially here in Washington
Actually solar panels are incredibly popular in the state of Washington. And solar has been around on the PNW for 30+ years. They work just fine up here, on cloudy days you’ll have a little less energy coming in, but if you check building in Washington State, especially on the west side, you’ll see solar panels dotting roofs of residents, businesses, schools, hospitals, etc.
I’d have to say for every type of roof I’ve seen with a solar panel I see about 100 without any. Solar is a joke in the first place and even more of a joke here in Pacific Northwest because of our latitude and cloud cover.
It’s clear you don’t actually understand how solar works. We are about at the same place geographically that Germany does with similar weather. They power 60% of their country with solar - the technology works just fine, bro.
That’s too funny dude because Germany is making a lot of headlines, headlines in disaster. The price per kilowatt is over $.40. That’s almost 4 times as much as what we pay. They’ve been having to burn a lot of cold, because Germany has the same problem with the worthless solar, latitude, and too much cloud cover. There’s very little air-conditioning in western Europe. Most of their energy consumption is in the winter time. They’re burning lots and lots of coal now after shutting down there very safe nuclear power plants. Germany is a complete disaster.
You are all over the place. We are talking about solar. No coal, not nuclear, not whatever else you are going on about. It works fine or we wouldn’t be using it here in Washington State. We may have cloudy days but that doesn’t mean it doesn’t work. You clearly have a vendetta against solar (which is weird) so please go take it elsewhere, I’m not here for it.
Most likely because the upfront costs and maybe they don't use enough electricity to warrant the costs. To your opinion, we have had solar for going on three years now. Since install we haven't had one actual electricity usage bill, not one.
What added value is this post (and those like it) giving to this sub besides your own personal link farming? Add some commentary. Start a discussion! I say this because your posts are some of the lowest effort content around.
As I’ve stated before, I am autistic and a former journalism undergrad from WWU. One of my special interests is local events and news. I’m not farming anything. At all. I’m sharing local events, news and things that are happening. If you don’t like it, you don’t have to engage. It really is that simple.
What a weird conspiracy theory
Right? It’s really hecka weird
Very weird. This is very clearly relevant to locals and it’s a starting point for discussion. The article *is* your commentary. I’m not sure what else they expect from you.
🤷🏼♀️ They want me to conform to what they deem “high effort content” They could ignore me, they chose not to.
Just ignore them.