SANDY SPRINGS, GA. (Oct. 23, 3 p.m. ET) — Newell Rubbermaid will close its Rubbermaid distribution center in Wooster in March.
The Sandy Springs-based marketer of consumer and commercial products will lay off 62 employees between Dec. 21 and March 28, according to a notice filed Oct. 23 with the state under the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) Act.
The plan to close the plant is not new — Rubbermaid last November announced that it would close the distribution center in Wooster and transfer its operations closer to its injection molding plant in Mogadore, Ohio.
The company is building a $25 million, 800,000-square-foot distribution center in Kent, Ohio, 42 miles from its location in Wooster.
Hannah Van Malssen, a corporate communications representative for Newell Rubbermaid, said Tuesday via email that the move will allow the company “to increase efficiency, reduce freight costs and improve customer service by more closely aligning our manufacturing and distribution capabilities.”
The new site will employ 175 workers, Van Malssen said. She said all Wooster employees who wanted positions there have been accommodated, but she refused to disclose how many employees chose that option.
All Wooster employees will receive 60 days of wages and benefits, 60 days’ notice or a combination of the two, according to the notice.
