NN, Inc. recently announced that it will close Whirlaway Corporation, the company's Tempe-based metals manufacturing facility, in a move that will result in the loss of 130 jobs. According to an article by the Phoenix Business Journal, those workers will be offered severance payments, continuation of benefits and outplacement assistance from an unnamed company.

Tennessee-based NN, Inc. acquired its Tempe facility when the company purchased Whirlaway Corporation in 2006. The current condition of the economy, along with NN, Inc.'s long-term manufacturing strategy for Whirlaway, prompted the company to consolidate its manufacturing resources in Ohio.

Whirlaway, which had sales of about $12 million last year, produces high-precision metal products, including fluid control components, assemblies and shafts. NN, Inc., which had sales of $425 million during 2008, manufactures high precision metal bearing components, industrial plastic products, rubber products and precision metal components.

Although Arizona's overall economy has been improving, and the manufacturing industry has managed to add jobs on a monthly basis as of late, a significant amount of workers in the industry have been lost from year-to-year.

The state's manufacturing industry employed 161,300 workers during November 2009, according to the U.S. Department of Labor Bureau of Labor Statistics. This is up from 160,300 workers during October, but a 6.7 percent decrease from November 2008.

During November, Arizona's unemployment rate decreased from 9.3 percent to 8.9 percent, following an increase from 9.1 percent during October. The recent decrease places the state's current unemployment rate lower than the national rate of 10 percent.

Arizona had a total non-farm employment of 2,415,300 workers during November, up from 2,411,000 workers during October, but a 5.6 percent decrease from the previous year.