Automation company to close Charlottesville operations

Emerson Automation Solutions, also known as Intelligent Platforms, plans to close its Charlottesville facility by the end of the year, according to a letter to the state dated July 9.

A total of 139 employees will lose their jobs, according to a notice sent in compliance with the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act.

Emerson Automation Solutions is a subsidiary of Emerson Electric, a St. Louis-based Fortune 500 corporation that provides automation solutions and technology.

The layoff, according to the notice, is “strictly due to business economics.”

“We are doing this as part of an overarching integration of Intelligent Platforms’ products and solutions into Emerson’s DeltaV platform,” Jason Hillery, a spokesperson for Emerson, said in a statement. “This integration will enable Emerson to streamline its portfolio and invest in the areas that best support customers and the long-term growth of its business.”

In March 2024, Emerson announced the DeltaV platform, an expanded automation platform that includes supervisory control and data acquisition systems, manufacturing execution systems and operations management software alongside the distributed control and safety systems and other technologies that have been part of the brand for decades.

More than a year ago, Emerson Automation Solutions announced plans to lay off 87 employees due to a decision to permanently reduce operations at the Charlottesville site. The layoffs were slated to begin in late 2025 and conclude on or about Dec. 31, 2026.

The current WARN notice affects employees who were notified in 2025 and who were notified this year. 

The affected Charlottesville employees include software engineers, manufacturing operators and manufacturing support technicians.

The first wave of employees will lose their jobs around the end of September. The next wave will be around Halloween. The third and final wave will be around the end of December.

None of the employees belonged to a union, according to the notice. Some of the employees will transfer to other Emerson facilities, according to a spokesperson.

The company has designed a severance plan based on how long employees worked at the facility. “We are committed to supporting all employees through this transition, and we appreciate their contributions to support our customers and our business,” Hillery said in the statement. 

In 2019, Emerson closed on the acquisition of General Electric’s intelligent platforms business in Charlottesville. Terms of the deal were not disclosed. Intelligent Platforms had about 650 employees at the time and 2017 sales of $210 million, according to news reports.

According to Emerson, the Charlottesville location at 2500 Austin Drive is one of 24 North American sites that has been used as a training center, featuring on-site instructor-led courses, virtual classroom, e-learning and blended learning options.

Emerson plans to sell the Charlottesville facility, according to Hillery.

Emerson reported fiscal 2025 net sales of $18 billion, up 3% from fiscal 2024.