Houston — Ascend Performance Materials is closing its Greenwood, S.C., nylon plant and shifting its polymer operations to its existing plant in Pensacola, Fla.
The Houston-based company announced the decision Oct. 16, according to the Greenwood Index-Journal newspaper. The move affects about 200 employees.
The newspaper quoted President and CEO Phil McDivitt: "Our employees in Greenwood brought hard work and dedication to every aspect of their work," he said. "Ultimately, prolonged global economic pressure, especially in the automotive and construction sectors, led to the difficult decision to close the plant."
Meanwhile, the Pensacola plant also announced that it is laying off employees but not closing.
According to a report from NorthEscambia.com, Pensacola has laid off an unspecified number of workers over the past few months. The report attributed the information to Osama Khalifa, the company's director of corporate communications and government affairs.
According to that report, the Pensacola plant employs 1,288.
In January, Ascend announced that was end industrial fiber spinning in Greenwood and in Tilburg, Netherlands. At the time, officials said the Greenwood plant would stay open and still make nylon 6/6 resin and compounds.