Chemical maker W.R. Grace is closing its manufacturing facility in Albany, Oregon, next year, laying off 95 workers in the process, according to the company’s Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification letter dated Oct. 1.
The facility is expected to cease operations on Dec. 31, a spokesperson said in an email to Manufacturing Dive.
“We made the difficult decision to cease operations at the plant due to economic factors unique to the facility,” the spokesperson said. “We are working closely with our employees to assist them with the transition to include offering priority opportunities in our global network as well as severance and retention packages.”
Employees were informed they were losing their jobs back in June, with the first round of layoffs occurring at the end of the year. A second wave of layoffs is anticipated to begin in March 2024 and continue through June, according to the filing.
The Albany plant produces pharmaceutical ingredients, automotive belts and hoses, wire and cable, clear food plastic wrapping and frozen foods bags, according to the chemical manufacturer’s website.
The site is also part of W.R. Grace’s fine chemicals business, which includes the production of pharmaceutical ingredients and the development of pharmaceutical alternatives and supplements. The company acquired the business along with two manufacturing facilities in Tyrone, Pennsylvania and South Haven, Michigan from Albermarle in 2021 for $570 million.
Most of the Albany site’s production and some of its equipment will transfer to the Tyrone facility, the spokesperson said
