Rotational molder Step2 Co. LLC will cut 162 jobs at a plant in Decatur, Ga., in the next few months.
The cuts were posted as part of a worker adjustment and retraining (WARN) notice filed to the state of Georgia. The effective date for the cuts is Feb. 16.
It is unclear from the posting if the layoffs are permanent. Officials with Step2 in Streetsboro, Ohio, could not be reached for comment.
Step2 moved into the Decatur site in July 2020. The firm purchased the site's manufacturing equipment and subleased the 132,000-square-foot facility, CEO Tony Ciepiel told Plastics News in a September 2020 email interview.
The site previously housed CI Rotomolding USA Inc., which had announced in late 2019 that it was looking for a joint venture partner or to be acquired.
The Decatur site's rotomolding machines, quality control systems, power tools and office, assembly and maintenance equipment were acquired to meet strong demand for toys and home products brought on by the pandemic, Ciepiel said in the 2020 email. Step2 planned to employ 150-175 in Decatur.
During 2020, orders were up for backyard toys, such as water tables, playhouses and roller coasters; wagons and ride-ons for neighborhood walks; and outdoor patio products. Step2 products are sold through retailers and distributors in the U.S., Canada and about 70 other countries.
Step2 has more than 800 employees and ranked No. 3 in the most recent Plastics News survey of North American rotomolders, with 2020 sales of $172.5 million.