Precision Camera Shifting More Than 200 Jobs Out of Enfield

Nearly half the employees of a major camera repair company based in Enfield will be laid off or relocated to the Southwest, according to the state Labor Department.

Precision Camera & Video Repair Inc., which has been headquartered in town since 2003, is shifting the majority of its digital camera repair work to its plants in El Paso, Texas and Chihuahua, Mexico.  A total of 234 jobs will be cut at the Enfield facility, the Labor Department reported.

David Marsh, the company's director of sales and marketing, said the business has "transitioned a great number of people to our Southwest facilities."

The company was founded in 1948 in Chicopee, Mass., and based its operations there for 55 years before moving to Anngina Drive in Enfield, across from Fermi High School off Moody Road.

Several major electronics retailers have service contracts with Precision Camera, as do all major digital camera manufacturers, including Nikon, Canon, Kodak, Sony, Pentax and Polaroid. The company website says it is the world's largest camera and video repair facility.

Mayor Scott Kaupin said he has been told the Enfield plant will still service high-end items, such as professional digital camera equipment.

"It's unfortunate news, but on the one hand it's understandable," Kaupin said. "Precision Camera had been prepping the town that some changes were being made to their campus. The silver lining is they still have over 200 employees in Enfield, doing highly technical work."