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Alpha Machine & Tool, an industrial machine shop located at 1350 S. 15th St., is going through hard times, according to company president Larry Goudy.
The company once employed a work force of 76 employees, Goudy said, but a stagnant economy and the loss of a major contract have necessitated a series of layoffs. The company currently has 24 employees.
But Goudy is not giving up. He has begun taking steps to build up the company's business.
Abrupt shift in business
Goudy started Alpha Machine & Tool in December 1998 to provide machining services for Action Material Handling Inc., a materialhandling company also owned by Goudy that fabricates conveyors, containers and racks for Ford Motor Co.
Only a few months ago, the company's future seemed bright. After years of steady growth, Alpha Machine's employment had risen to 76 by 2002, and revenue last year was more than $5 million.
In 2000, the company signed a five-year contract to provide machining services for Safetran Systems Corp., a manufacturer of railroad signaling equipment and systems based in Minneapolis at the time.
Safetran...