POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. (AP) - Briggs & Stratton will expand its manufacturing plant in the southeast Missouri town of Poplar Bluff and add 130 new jobs over the next year, while at the same time closing a plant in Kentucky.
The company, which makes small gasoline engines used in lawnmowers, announced Thursday that it will consolidate operations in the Missouri plant and shut down the facility in Murray, Kentucky, by the fall of 2020.
Briggs & Stratton says in a news release that the market for small vertical-shaft engines has been stable over the last several years but has not grown, prompting the need to consolidate operations.
The state of Missouri provided $175,000 in incentives through the Missouri One Start program, aimed at helping recruit workers and train new and existing employees.
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