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Newton County aluminum plant to close; 146 to lose jobs
Edited by : AL CIRCLE
2 min read
At least 146 employees of a Newton County aluminum extrusion plant will lose their jobs this summer when the facility is closed.
The Bonnell Aluminum factory at Kentland, northwest of Lafayette, has been operating at a loss for several years, according to a statement from the parent Tredegar Corp. based in Richmond, Va.
The company filed a lay-off warning letter with the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, which was posted on the state agency’s website.
The notice, which refers to the company as Bon L Manufacturing, indicates the “permanent lay-offs should begin no earlier than April 3, and that the facility will be closed about Sept. 1.”
Some of the employees are represented by the United Steelworkers Union, District 7.
Tredegar acquired the Kentland plant in 1973 in the purchase of Capitol Products. The parent company, a global producer of plastic films and aluminum extrusions, still has other U.S. plants.
In a statement, the Wall Street-traded Tredegar said its northwestern Indiana facility, which made extruded aluminum supplies for the building and construction industry, had sales of about $38 million in 2010 and had been operating at a loss for several years. The construction industry has been hard hit by the recession since 2007.
Duncan Crowdis, president of the Bonnell Aluminum subsidiary of Tredegar, said, “This was a difficult decision to make, and we regret the impact this decision will have on our employees in Kentland.”
“While the employees have made an exceptional effort to help weather the current construction recession, prospect for a significant recovery in Kentland’s core market, residential building, now appear to be well into the future,” he said.
The Bonnell Aluminum factory at Kentland, northwest of Lafayette, has been operating at a loss for several years, according to a statement from the parent Tredegar Corp. based in Richmond, Va.
The company filed a lay-off warning letter with the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, which was posted on the state agency’s website.
The notice, which refers to the company as Bon L Manufacturing, indicates the “permanent lay-offs should begin no earlier than April 3, and that the facility will be closed about Sept. 1.”
Some of the employees are represented by the United Steelworkers Union, District 7.
Tredegar acquired the Kentland plant in 1973 in the purchase of Capitol Products. The parent company, a global producer of plastic films and aluminum extrusions, still has other U.S. plants.
In a statement, the Wall Street-traded Tredegar said its northwestern Indiana facility, which made extruded aluminum supplies for the building and construction industry, had sales of about $38 million in 2010 and had been operating at a loss for several years. The construction industry has been hard hit by the recession since 2007.
Duncan Crowdis, president of the Bonnell Aluminum subsidiary of Tredegar, said, “This was a difficult decision to make, and we regret the impact this decision will have on our employees in Kentland.”
“While the employees have made an exceptional effort to help weather the current construction recession, prospect for a significant recovery in Kentland’s core market, residential building, now appear to be well into the future,” he said.
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