Burkart Foam Inc. will close its Cairo, Ill., plant several months after laying off a big chunk of the facility's work force.
Burkart filed documents with the Illinois Department of Employment Security on Aug. 1 that said it will close the Cairo operation Oct. 1. Burkart did not indicate the reason for the closure. In February, Burkart confirmed it had laid off many of the plant's 101 workers because of weak sales to the automotive sector and high natural gas costs. At the time, an official said there was no plan to close the Cairo plant.
Cairo makes polyurethane foam for automotive and other industries. Burkhart also runs a plant in Manitowoc, Wis. Parent company Ohio Decorative Products Inc. of Spencerville, Ohio, has several other PU foam operations in the United States. Officials were unavailable to explain the Cairo shutdown.