Rheem To Close Waterbury Eemax Facility, Cut Jobs

WATERBURY, CT — Rheem Manufacturing Co. has notified the state it plans to close its Eemax facility at 400 Captain Neville Dr. and permanently lay off approximately 76 workers.

The company notified the state Department of Labor in a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) notice dated Feb. 24.

The layoffs will take place in waves through the end of July, according to the company.

The first separation will be over a 14 day period starting April 30. Additional layoffs are scheduled for June 20 and July 30, the notice states.

“We confirm Rheem is vacating this site,” the company said, in an emailed statement Friday. “The distribution and production needs of our electric tankless water heater product line have outgrown the facility and will now be integrated within larger Rheem distribution and production facilities prior to the end of our lease term in July.”

According to Rheem, all impacted employees will receive severance benefits and career transition support.

“We appreciate all Waterbury team members for their years of dedication,” the company said, in the statement.

The impacted workers have a variety of roles, such as assemblers, quality inspectors, manufacturing engineers, and laboratory technicians, according to Michael Fostakowsky, senior counsel for the company.

Rheem manufactures heating and cooling systems, such as water heaters, furnaces, air conditioners, and water softeners. The Atlanta-headquartered company was originally founded in California a century ago. As of early 2025, Rheem had about 14,000 employees and locations around the U.S. and world, according to its website.

Eemax Inc. was founded in 1988. It has made Waterbury its home since 2012. It manufactures commercial and residential electric tankless heaters, its website shows. Rheem acquired Eemax in 2015.