More jobs to go at Rexam in second US site closure

Simeon Goldstein, packagingnews.co.uk, 29 September 2009

 

Rexam has announced the closure of a second US plastics facility next year bringing the total job losses to around 285 staff.

 

The announcement comes a week after the London-based packaging giant said it was closing a French can making facility and continues the restructuring of its global plastics packaging business.

 

Rexam is closing a plant in Hamlet, North Carolina, that makes injections and compression moulded closures and custom packs for the food and drinks markets. Equipment will be moved to other US facilities to adjust overall production capacity.

 

Some 220 jobs will be lost adding to the 65 positions that will be made redundant when Rexam closes its foam pump dispenser facility in Pompano Beach, Florida, that will also close next year.

 

Graham Chipchase, Group Director of Rexam Plastic Packaging said aligning the global plastics manufacturing was part of the firm's "strategy to deliver operational excellence".

 

"It allows us to improve the overall utilization of our existing operations, balance capacity and demand and continue our focus on delivering world-class quality products and services to customers," he said.

 

Earlier this month, the firm confirmed it would lay off 59 of the 65 Pompano Beach staff in October.

 

Rexam is also restructuring its European business. As well as the Dunkerque closure, it is also cutting 188 jobs when it restructures the French make-up division and will stop producing cans at a Moscow facility.