LAYOFFS/CLOSINGS/BANKRUPTCIES
CENTRAL TEXAS
Alcoa Inc. will permanently close two of the six idled potlines at its ROCKDALE smelter. The curtailments are expected to be complete by the first half of 2012. Alcoa originally halted work at the plant and laid off 900 workers in 2008 with plans the plant could someday return to its normal production level. Alcoa is a producer of primary and fabricated aluminum, as well as a miner of bauxite and refiner of alumina. Alcoa Inc., 201 Isabella Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15212-5858; 412-553-4545; Fax: 412-553-4498; http://www.alcoa.com
KLN Steel Products Company, LLC, a Three Mountain Furniture company, manufactures furniture for student housing facilities and military installations. The company filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) notice with the Texas Workforce Commission that it laid off 108 employees at its plant in SAN ANTONIO in November 2011. KLN Steel Products Company, LLC, 4200 North Pan Am Expressway, San Antonio, TX 78218; 210-227-4747; 800-624-9101; Fax: 210-227-4047; http://www.kln.com
NORTH TEXAS
Bemis Company, Inc. has notified its employees in LONGVIEW that it will be closing its plastics packaging plant, located at 800 Jordan Valley Road. More than 100 persons work at that facility. The Longview plant produces films and bags primarily for personal care applications. The closing will be phased in during a period of several months, probably beginning in March 2012 with a final shutdown date of May 31, 2012. After that, equipment will be removed and shipped to other plants. Bemis plants in New Jersey and Wisconsin will also close. Bemis is headquartered in Neenah, Wisconsin. Bemis Company, Inc., PO Box 669, Neenah, WI 54957-0669; 920-727-4100; http://www.bemis.com
DSC Logistics plans to close a ROANOKE warehouse and shipping facility and will begin laying off about 130 workers in early March 2012. The warehouse, at 300 Gateway Parkway in the Alliance development, was being used for distribution of medical supplies for the Kimberly-Clark Health Care Division, which is reorganizing its operations. DSC is headquartered in Des Plaines, Illinois. DSC has reported the planned layoffs to the Texas Workforce Commission after distributing WARN notices to employees to give them 60 days' notice. The company said in the state filing that it has 156 employees at the site. DSC Logistics, 1750 South Wolf Road, Des Plaines, IL 60018; 800-372-1960; Fax: 847-390-7276; http://www.dsclogistics.com
IRVING-based Hostess Brands Inc., the maker of Twinkies and Wonder Bread, has filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in the U.S. Bankruptcy Court in the Southern District of New York. Hostess said that it will continue operating its bakeries, outlet stores and distribution centers and product deliveries during the bankruptcy. The company operates 36 bakeries and 565 distribution centers around the United States. The company has 570 bakery outlet stores in the U.S. Hostess Brands Inc., 6031 Connection Drive, Suite 600, Irving, TX 75039; 972-532-4500; Fax: 972-892 -7694; http://www.hostessbrands.com
Nuconsteel is a designer and manufacturer of total framing solutions for both commercial and residential markets. Charlotte, North Carolina-based Nucor Corp. will shut down its Nuconsteel plant in DENTON as part of the closure of its Nuconsteel division. Nucor will no longer be fabricating light gauge steel framing. Nuconsteel will lay off 116 workers beginning on January 20, 2012. Nuconsteel, 525 South Locust, Denton, TX 76201; 940-891-3050; Fax: 940-891-3090; http://www.nuconsteel.com
Austin-based Whole Foods Market, Inc. will close a DALLAS production facility at 5531 E. University Drive. The company filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) Notice with the Texas Workforce Commission on January 2, 2012. The layoffs, which are expected to be permanent, will affect around 70 employees. Some employees are expected to get jobs at other facilities. The facility, which produces baked goods for eight Dallas area Whole Foods locations, is expected to close March 11, 2012. Whole Foods Market, Inc., 550 Bowie Street, Austin, TX 78703-4644; 512-477-4455; Fax: 512-482-7000; http://www.wholefoodsmarket.com
SOUTHEAST TEXAS
BAE Systems is eliminating between 1,100 and 1,300 jobs later in 2010, most coming at its SEALY manufacturing facility where it manufactures medium-grade Army trucks. 97 percent of BAE’s 2,900-person workforce is in Sealy. The remainder are in Sterling Heights, Michigan. BAE will release most of its 600 temporary employees in September, then full-scale reductions will follow in October and December 2010. Earlier this year BAE lost a major U.S. Army contract to supply Family of Medium Tactical Vehicles (FMTVs) that are assembled in Sealy. http://www.baesystems.com
Beckman Coulter develops, manufactures and markets products that simplify, automate and innovate complex biomedical testing. The diagnostic systems are used in hospitals and other critical care settings and produce information used by physicians to diagnose disease, make treatment decisions and monitor patients. Beckman Coulter has filed a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) notice with the Texas Workforce Commission that it will lay off 41 employees by September 30, 2010, from its facility in WEBSTER. http://www.beckmancoulter.com
Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. LP will begin to lay off 61 workers in February 2012 as part of the closure of its PASADENA Plastics Facility, according to a notice the company filed with the Texas Workforce Commission. The Woodlands-based company is closing its joint venture Phillips Sumika Polypropylene Company operations in Pasadena. The layoffs begin in February 2012 and will continue through the end of the year. Chevron Phillips Chemical Co. LP, 10001 Six Pines Drive, The Woodlands, TX 77380; 832-813-4100; http://www.cpchem.com
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