International Motors may not be a household name, but its trucks, school buses, and engines have moved goods and people across North America for generations.
The company formerly known as Navistar is now preparing to permanently terminate virtually its entire workforce at two Springfield, Ohio, facilities as the historic manufacturing operation changes ownership.
International Motors expects to terminate approximately 1,341 employees on Oct. 2, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN), reviewed by TheStreet.
The cuts include about 1,314 employees at the Springfield Assembly Plant and another 27 at the nearby Truck Specialty Center.
More than 1,150 are represented by the United Auto Workers.
International Motors will terminate Springfield workers
These layoffs are tied to International Motor’s agreement to sell a majority of its Springfield assets to Roshel, a Canadian manufacturer of commercial, specialty, and armored vehicles.
The facilities themselves are not permanently closing.
Roshel has told International that it plans to begin new operations at the sites after the transaction closes, although it has not disclosed how many current employees it may hire.
International expects the sale to close on Oct. 2, the same day its operations at both Springfield locations will end.
Virtually every employee still working at the facilities will be terminated by International that day, except certain workers on approved leaves of absence. Those employees will be terminated after their leave concludes, according to the WARN notice.
More Layoffs:
- Samsung cuts jobs as it shifts U.S. headquarters
- Another popular soda giant closes warehouse operation, cuts 184 jobs
- Meta layoffs take disturbing turn in new lawsuit
Approximately 1,137 of the assembly plant’s 1,314 employees are represented by United Auto Workers (UAW), along with 21 of the 27 employees at the Truck Specialty Center.
International said that payments and benefits for union workers were negotiated separately with UAW Locals 402 and 658.
Eligible nonunion employees will also be offered severance and benefits under terms communicated separately.
However, International said the properties are not closing. Roshel intends to launch its own operations there sometime after the transaction is completed.
Neither company has announced when hiring will begin or how many International employees Roshel may retain.
International decided in March to sell the facilities
International announced its agreement to sell the Springfield operations to Roshel in March, after searching for a new future for its sprawling manufacturing facility.
The decision has already created a substantial financial charge for International’s parent company, TRATON.
TRATON said the agreement to sell Springfield to Roshel reduced its operating result by €138 million during the first half of 2026.
Related: Verizon shuts down longtime customer support option after layoffs
The company attributed €97 million in expenses directly to the agreement, which reduced gross profit.
The group also recorded €40 million in personnel-related costs during the period, although it has not said that all of these costs relate to the Springfield workforce.
TRATON has also not disclosed the sale price or specified how much severance will go to Springfield employees.
Key manufacturing contract expires in September
International said in March that the assembly plant had been almost exclusively dedicated to contract manufacturing for a major automotive company in recent years.
That agreement expires Sept. 30, leaving International without the contract that supported most of the plant’s recent production.
“With the end of our contract manufacturing agreement, we have been working diligently to find a suitable path for the Springfield Assembly Plant,” International Chief Financial Officer Samara Strycker said in a company statement.
The Springfield property includes more than 2 million square feet of manufacturing space across approximately 500 acres, with a complete vehicle assembly line and paint booth.
The company’s presence in Springfield stretches back more than a century, giving the sale greater significance for workers and the surrounding community.
Roshel is expanding its U.S. defense business
Roshel is a privately held armored vehicle manufacturer headquartered in Brampton, Ontario.
The company builds vehicles for military, law enforcement, border security, emergency response, and commercial customers.
Roshel opened its first U.S. production facility in Shelby Township, Michigan, in 2024. Acquiring Springfield gives it a substantially larger domestic manufacturing footprint.
Roshel CEO Roman Shimonov said the Ohio facility would strengthen the company’s ability to address “evolving customer requirements,” while drawing on Springfield’s experienced workforce.
“Adding this Springfield facility, with its rich history, to our U.S. footprint strengthens our ability to support U.S. defense and commercial automotive programs locally,” said Shimonov.
Roshel has not publicly committed to hiring any specific number of International’s 1,341 affected employees.
International sales fall, but orders recover
The sale comes during a difficult earnings period for International.
First-half vehicle sales fell 15%, and revenue declined 13% to €3.83 billion, while adjusted operating profit dropped to €44 million from €81 million.
TRATON blamed lower volumes and high tariff costs, even as incoming orders more than doubled as demand for heavy-duty trucks began to recover.
However, North American truck orders rose sharply as demand for heavy-duty vehicles began to recover, with TRATON reporting a 125% increase in incoming orders year over year.
For Springfield workers, however, the central question is how quickly Roshel will begin production and how many members of International’s experienced workforce will be offered a role in the plant’s next chapter.
Related: 17-year-old Mexican restaurant chain closes all locations
