California-based Pacific Steel Casting Co. has announced its business will shut down permanently on December 17, 2017, according to a letter sent to the company’s approximately 70 employees. Pacific Steel makes carbon, low-alloy and stainless steel castings for US and international customers, largely for heavy-duty trucks and construction equipment.
Pacific Steel Casting, based in West Berkeley, had been owned by the Genger family for four generations and has been in business since 1934. At one time, it was one of the largest independent steel casting companies in the US and employed 600 individuals. The company filed for bankruptcy in 2014 and Speyside Equity firm purchased it for $11.5 million.