Eaton Corp. plans to close its Aurora, Ohio, plant, which extrudes thermoplastic hose and tubing for hydraulics, by February 2017, the power management company said in a statement emailed on April 12 to Crain's Cleveland Business, a sister publication of Plastics News.
The plant employs 150.
Eaton, which is based in Dublin, with North American headquarters in Beachwood, Ohio, said the decision to close the plant was “the result of a continuing decline in the global hydraulics business and markets served by this facility,” according to the statement, and is not a reflection on the employees.
The closing is part of the company's three-year, $400 million restructuring program. In February, Eaton also said it would shutter its hydraulics plant in Berea that made quick-disconnect couplings for hydraulics, laying off about 100 employees. Eaton instead bought those products from an outside supplier and moved the assembly to Eaton's factory in Reynosa, Mexico.
The Aurora plant makes thermoplastic hose and tubing for a variety of markets, including industrial, beverage and oil and gas, hydraulics and vehicles.
Eaton, an industrial conglomerate, acquired the factory in 2006 when it bought the Synflex plastic hose and tubing business from Saint-Gobain Performance Plastics Corp.
Mexico had also played a role, also in 2006, when Eaton consolidated two Ohio extrusion plants in the hose and tubing business. Eaton closed a plant in Mantua, Ohio, and moved some hose and reinforcement work from Mantua to Aurora — and Mantua's assembly work and some extrusion went to the Eaton plant in Reynosa.
Eaton officials were not immediately available for comment for this story.
Eaton's emailed statement said advance notice is being given so employees can plan for the future. Eligible employees will be offered the company's severance package, including outplacement services.
Bill Bregar, a senior reporter for Plastics News contributed to this report.