Editor’s note: This story has been updated with information about a facility closing in Pennsylvania and a related statement from WestRock.
WestRock will permanently close two facilities this October, according to recent worker adjustment and retraining notification filings.
Its corrugated sheet plant in Columbus, Indiana, is scheduling layoffs for 101 employees on Oct. 15, according to the company’s WARN letter dated Aug. 15. Its Hazleton, Pennsylvania, folding carton plant will lay off 70 employees, according to a Pennsylvania WARN notice. That facility is slated to close on Oct. 31, according to The Shenandoah Sentinel.
A WestRock spokesperson said via email that the company made the decision to close both sites “after thorough analysis and careful consideration.” After closing activities are complete in mid-October, both plants’ production will shift to other WestRock facilities, the spokesperson said.
These are the latest in a series of WestRock closures as part of its footprint optimization plan. During the company’s May earnings call, executives discussed the plan and the goal to improve profitability by closing less efficient and underperforming facilities. They further discussed the plan on their most recent earnings call on Aug. 3, including the decision to close the paper mill in Tacoma, Washington. Other recently announced closures include corrugated plants in St. Louis and near Baltimore as well as a containerboard and kraft paper mill in North Charleston, South Carolina.
Some employees at the Columbus plant are members of the local United Steelworkers union, which also covers paper and forestry employees. The employee departures will be governed by provisions in the collective bargaining agreement. Employees are eligible to apply for positions at other WestRock facilities, according to The Republic. Qualified employees at the Hazleton plant will be offered the opportunity to relocate to WestRocks’ plant in Lebanon, Tennessee, the WestRock spokesperson said.
The Columbus facility would have needed significant investment to remain competitive, reported The Republic. The facility originally opened in the 1960s and has had numerous owners, including RockTenn, the company that merged with MeadWestvaco in 2015 to form WestRock.
