Medical injection molder Phillips-Medisize Corp. is closing a 136,400-square-foot production facility in Eau Claire, Wis., and permanently laying off approximately 98 employees.
The layoffs will begin Oct. 15 with 55 employees. A second layoff will eliminate another 43 positions, which "will take place in phases and is expected to be complete by" Dec. 15, Phillips-Medisize said in a notice to the Wisconsin Department of Workforce Development.
The closing was announced in a January report, which stated the facility employed 230 people at the time.
Employees will receive pay and benefits for "at least a full 60 days" from the date they are laid off, the notice said.
"We will continue to keep our employees closely advised as to their anticipated separation dates," it added.
The affected employees are not represented by a union.
Phillips-Medisize decided to close the facility "after careful consideration and review of its global footprint and how it can best align resources to meet the long-term needs of its customers and remain competitive in a changing marketplace," Heather Ditzler, marketing communications manager for Phillips-Medisize, said in an emailed statement to Plastics News.
As part of the closure process, Ditzler said, the company is helping employees find positions available at other Phillips-Medisize Wisconsin locations.
Phillips-Medisize "made extensive efforts to encourage employees to accept job transfers to other … locations where we have job openings," including another location in Eau Claire, the WARN notice said.
"We are grateful for our employees' continued dedication, hard work and commitment to customers as the facility transitions," Ditzler added.
Phillips-Medisize was No. 18 in Plastics News' most recent ranking of injection molders in North America, with an estimated $450 million in sales for the region.