Force Protection To Cut More Jobs

Armored vehicle manufacturer is laying off more workers as its backlog of vehicles shrinks.

CHARLESTON, S.C. (AP) -- Armored vehicle manufacturer Force Protection is laying off more workers.

Tommy Pruitt with the Ladson company told The Post and Courier of Charleston the company has laid off fewer than 100 workers. He would not elaborate.

The company makes heavy-duty trucks with a V-shaped hull to deflect explosions.

The newspaper said in January, Force Protection had a backlog of about nearly 1,800 vehicles. Six months later, it had orders for 763 vehicles and has announced only a few additional orders since then.

Pruitt says employment has fallen from 2,000 at the beginning of the year to about 1,500 people across the state.

Pruitt said the company plans to hire about 60 workers for its support division, which will help repair and service previously built trucks.

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