Sierra Monitor closing down Milpitas headquarters

An industrial device maker is shutting down its Milpitas headquarter, which will result in 26 layoffs.

Sierra Monitor Corp. told state employment officials that it plans to begin layoffs in November and complete them by April, according to the Silicon Valley Business Journal. The company produces gas detectors and Internet of Things routers.

This move comes after the decision made earlier this year by parent company MSA Safety Inc., the safety product developer and manufacturer, to relocate Sierra’s manufacturing work to a building near Pittsburgh, Mark Deasy, MSA spokesman, told the business journal.

The timing of the office closure also aligns with the expiration of Sierra’s lease agreement at the 30,000 square foot facility on 1991 Tarob Court. Housing developers Troll Brothers purchased Sierra’s building last year. The firm also developed a neighborhood of townhomes across the street.

Another factor that played into the decision to close the Milpitas building was the opening of a nearby BART station in 2020, according to Deasy. Milpitas chose to designate the entire area around the facility as redevelopment zone for transit oriented projects.

With the closing of the Milpitas building, MSA will exit the Bay Area market. The only offices remaining in California are near San Diego in Lake Forest, according to its website.

The layoffs will impact ten assemblers, a handful of technicians, managers and some inventory professionals, according to the notice MSA sent to the state Employment Development Department.

MSA plans to continue to employ 11 employees that were based at the Sierra building. Those employees will continue to work completely remote, according to the notice.

Sierra was founded in 1978. Pennsylvania-based MSA acquired it in 2019 for $33 million.

— Pawan Naidu

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