Worthington to close plant

Worthington Industries is expected to close its Malvern plant, above, in February. The employees affected are production line workers represented by the United Steelworkers of America Amalgamated Local 1165-09.

Firm announces cutbacks as part of restructuring plant; will eliminate 140 area jobs.

By Brian McCullough
Staff Writer

The operation in Malvern lost about $25 million over the last five years. Losses had been reduced recently but the plant still was not profitable.

EAST WHITELAND - The other shoe has dropped.

Worthington Industries, which announced cutbacks for February, said Thursday it is closing its Malvern plant as part of a companywide restructuring.

The company said it is closing the lines on Morehall Road where it conducts nickel and zinc nickel plating operations.

The move will mean the loss of about 140 jobs at the company plant.

Jobs will be eliminated as orders are filled, a process that should be completed by the end of May, says Cathy Mayne Lyttle, spokeswoman for the Columbus Ohio-based firm.

These are permanent (reductions), not layoffs temporary in nature, she said.

The operation in Malvern lost about $25 million over the last five years, Lyttle said. Losses have been reduced recently but the plant was still not profitable, Lyttle said.

Worthington is also closing a plant in Jackson, Mich. Its Rock Hill, S.C., plant will become a Diet-rich Metal Framing location servicing both metal framing and steel customers.

The metal framing facilities in Fredricksburg, Va., will be closed and its operation moved to Rock Hill. Worthington Cylinders is discontinuing the operations of two partneship in Itu, Brazil and closing a production facility in Claremore, Okla.

In addition, Worthington said it is cutting overhead costs at its Louisville, Ky., facility. In total, 500 employees will loose their jobs, the company said.

Most of the affected local employees are production line workers represented by the United Steelworkers of America Amalgamated Local 1165-09.

William Bailey, president of the local union, said bad decisions over the years and a failure to keep equipment up to date led to the plants closing.

They went into different markets that werent profitable, Baliety said. Management at the plant had improved over the last several years, the union president said.

Its a shame they werent there years ago, Bailey said.

Sales of approximately $75 million generated by the Malvern and Brazil facilities will be lost as Wor ...

Daily Local News 1/25/2002