![]() ![]() Rawlings officials are aware of how bad the optics of the move look. And unfortunately, it just made better sense for us to utilize the factory (in China),” Thompson said. “(But) you’ve got a worldwide leader that you just acquired with world-class manufacturing, and you wrestle with all of these decisions. “And everybody in the company really liked the operation there.” “These kinds of decisions are really never easy, especially when you’ve got really great employees like we do in Caledonia,” said Thompson. Easton produces its bats in China under an “exclusive arrangement,” and it made sense, both for cost and manufacturing reasons, to move Miken’s bat-producing operations to China, Thompson said. At the time, officials touted the acquisition as creating a “leading baseball and softball equipment provider.” But the combination boded ill for Miken in Caledonia. Last year, Rawlings acquired Easton Diamond Sports, a leader in non-wood bats. Miken is owned by Rawlings Sporting Goods, which in turn is owned by a private equity firm, Seidler Equity Partners, and MLB Properties. “They’re really supportive of community events, particularly from the local park and rec teams.” ![]() “Not only do they employ a lot of people, but they’re really good community partners,” Swann said. It is poised to lose both a major two-decade employer and significant property tax generator, as well as an active and valuable community member. What will remain in Caledonia after the plant closure is a Rawlings’ sales and marketing team of about seven people, a legislator said.Ĭaledonia City Administer Adam Swann called the impending closure a “double whammy” for this 2,800-person community. The operations and jobs employed in the making of the bats will be moved to a facility in China, and the helmet operation will be shifted to a facility in Washington, Mo.Ĭurrently the shells of helmets produced in Caledonia are shipped to the Missouri facility where MLB team logos are painted on them. In addition to baseball helmets, the Caledonia plant makes composite bats used by youth baseball, girls softball and adult slow pitch players. But prior to the coronavirus pandemic, a Caledonia official said, Miken employed more than 120 people from the region. Miken Sports is one of the biggest employers in this Houston County town, currently employing 59 full-time and 10 part-time workers, said Mike Thompson, Rawlings Sporting Goods’ chief marketing officer. Some of the jobs will stay stateside and other jobs will head to China. ![]() Employees of Miken Sports, maker of the baseball helmets used by Major League Baseball players, have been notified that the manufacturing plant will close in the next 18 to 24 months, delivering an economic blow to this small rural community. ![]()
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