COLUMBUS, Ind. -- More than 600 workers at Cummins' Walesboro engine plant were laid off Tuesday, a loss the company's chairman said he takes personally.

The MidRange Engine Plant, which produces diesel engines for Dodge Ram pickup trucks, will shut down for an undetermined amount of time, until the auto industry begins to recover, 6News' Ben Morriston reported.

Workers on Tuesday said goodbye and looked to the future.

"We'll be alright, use some savings, unemployment, as long as it's not too long," said laid off worker Dave Isaacs. "If it goes longer than six months, it might get tight."

Cummins Chairman Tim Solso reassured stockholders Tuesday that the company would rebound after the recession. He said the job cuts were tough to make.

"Laying people off is the hardest thing a manager has to do," he said. "Each individual has a family, they have a mortgage to pay, they have to get their kids to school, they're scared because their pensions are half what they would be."

The company has given no indication of when the Indiana workers might be recalled. Cummins has reduced its worldwide workforce by 8,000 employees since last fall.