The 750 employees of the Falk Corp. plant that was damaged by a fatal explosion Dec. 6 should be back to work by late January, according to Rexnord Industries LLC, the parent company of Rexnord/Falk Geared Products Group.
The company said in a statement that the employees’ pay and benefits would be guaranteed through the end of January, which is when operations should resume as usual. The company had previously stated that pay and benefits would continue through the end of December.
According to company spokesman Evan Zeppos, 500 employees have already returned to the Menomonee Valley plant.
"Some equipment is already up and running and we began assembling and manufacturing component parts on Monday. Replacement equipment and supplies have been ordered and, this past weekend, the company shipped its first orders since the accident." said Dave Doerr, Falk President. On Dec 6, an explosion had killed three employees and injured more than 40 others.Milwaukee-based Falk Corp. is a manufacturer of industrial mechanical power transmission solutions ranging from standard and custom gear drives, to couplings and backstops. Falk has production facilities in the U.S., Canada, Mexico, Brazil, and Australia for the aggregate, cement, coal, metal, mining, paper, and power generation industries.