After 55 Years, Frito-Lay Shuts Down IE Plant, Lays Off 432 Workers

RANCHO CUCAMONGA, CA — A long-standing Inland Empire snack-food era has ended. More than 400 Frito-Lay employees were laid off this month from the company's Rancho Cucamonga plant amid the site's permanent closure.

The plant has been a major employer in the area since it opened in 1970. In total, 432 employees were permanently let go from the facility located at 9535 Archibald Avenue, according to state filings. The effective date posted by the state was June 11.

In a statement, the company said, "We are truly grateful for all the support over the last five decades from our Rancho Cucamonga manufacturing team as well as the local community. We are committed to supporting those impacted through this transition and we are offering pay and benefits to impacted employees."

The Rancho Cucamonga facility is not the only Frito-Lay plant impacted by cuts. Earlier this year, the company shut down a New York plant, resulting in 287 job losses. Another 56 jobs were chopped at a Maryland warehouse.

PepsiCo Foods U.S owns Frito-Lay. In a recent earnings call, PepsiCo Chief Executive Officer Ramon Laguarta said the company was "right-sizing the cost" of its snacks division after disappointing first-quarter numbers.

Some of the snack brands under the Frito-Lay umbrella include Fritos, Lay's, Doritos, Cheetos, Smartfood, Stacy's, and Tostitos.

It's not immediately clear whether other Frito-Lay sites will close.