SOUTH BOSTON, Va. – A South Boston manufacturer has furloughed nearly a quarter of its local workforce.

The South Boston News and Record reports that ABB laid off 113 employees at the company’s small electrical transformers plant on Wednesday. Prior to the layoffs, the South Boston manufacturer employed 467 workers.

ABB cited a slowdown in global demand. “This business decision is in no way related to the performance of the local team and we are committed to supporting the employees throughout this process. The South Boston facility continues to be important to the ABB Power Grids business,”according to Christopher Shigas, an ABB Power Grids spokesman.

The layoffs are spread throughout the first and second shift at the operation and include workers who have been employed by the company for decades.

At a meeting with workers on Wednesday, management said the market downturn for electrical transformers has been in free fall, with orders at the plant cut in half in the May-June period.