Benchmark Electronics closing Silicon Valley plant

In the November filing with the State of California, publicly-traded Benchmark cited that 181 employees would be affected from the permanent closure of the company’s 80,000-sq. ft. facility. This follows the July announcement that two North American facilities, San Jose and Guaymas, Mexico, would be shuttered in early 2020, affecting about 3% of Benchmark’s global workforce. The company has not stated the exact timeline for the Mexico closure. A Benchmark spokesperson told the Silicon Valley Business Journal this week that the first wave of layoffs in San Jose would happen in mid-January and wrap up by the end of the second quarter. Those affected will get severance pay and career transition services, with some possibly transferring to a different Benchmark location.