ALLENTOWN, PA. — Polar Plastics Inc. plans to close its Allentown plant and move disposable cutlery production equipment to its Mooresville, N.C., facility.
Basem Atallah, president and chief executive officer, said his firm is making the move because of a shortage of qualified workers, according to a report in the Allentown Morning Call. A Polar spokeswoman confirmed her company will close the Allentown plant Jan. 23, but she provided no other details.
In early 1996 Polar considered expanding the Allentown plant, but in August of that year it announced it would invest $25 million during three years in a new facility in Mooresville. Officials cited worker training, infrastructure, low costs and market proximity as key attractions of Mooresville.
The Morning Call reported that some of Allentown's 180 workers already have moved to work in Mooresville. The newspaper said the unemployment rate in Lehigh Valley, where Allentown is located, was only 5 percent in October.
