If you are like many people out there you have no idea what Briggs & Stratton does. You’ve probably never even heard their name, but if you have a common household appliance then the odds are that you have some of their work sitting in your garage or shed right now. For those of us who do not know what the company is here is a look at how they describe themselves:

“Briggs & Stratton produces some of the world’s most reliable lawn mower engines and small engines. For over 100 years, we have manufactured engines that are durable, reliable and just easy to use and maintain. Every year, 3,000 employees build over 10 million small engines right here in America. Those are just some of the reasons why 8 out of 10 lawn mower brands choose to utilize Briggs & Stratton engines to power their lawn tractors and push mowers . Shouldn’t you choose a Briggs & Stratton engine? Visit our Engine 101 section to find out how to select and care for a push lawn mower engine or a riding lawn mower engine.”

Briggs & Stratton is getting ready to get rid of 250 workers at their Alabama plant. The company has stated that the jobs are being cut because it is no longer profitable for their parts to be made in the US. The company will be moving these jobs to China in a bid to make their parts for a lower cost. The workers will be laid off in increments, between the end of this year and into 2013. So, at least the workers who will be displaced will have at least seven months to find new positions before they are out of a job for good. The company will also be offering a job placement program for workers who are going to be cut due to outsourcing.

In addition to the 250 workers, the company is going to cut another 210 jobs world wide as they begin to taper off some of their lines of lawn and garden products from national retailers.

Some of the company’s products have also been subject to recall. A set of Craftsman riding mower’s that used their parts had to be recalled in October of 2010 because the machines posed a danger, “These riding mowers came to consumers with the side discharge chute not fully secured to the mower. Bolts can be forcefully discharged from mower if not properly tightened, posing an injury hazard to consumers.”

After that that it was parts used on a variety of mowers. In November of 2011 the company had to recall parts used in several major brands of mowers because, “Wear on misrouted wiring may cause it to disconnect from the shut-off device, allowing the engine to continue running when the key is in the “OFF” position or when the operator gets off the seat while the mower is engaged, posing an injury hazard to consumers.” The parts were used in the manufacture of three different lawnmower company’s products.