Alsip Factory Closing To Eliminate 480 Jobs
ALSIP, Ill. (STMW) -- A plastics manufacturer plans to lay off 480 workers at an Alsip plant, but some of those employees may be able to move into jobs at other factories the company owns.
Berry Plastics said the layoffs, which will begin next month, are part of a cost-cutting initiative that will result in five plant closings.
The former Landis Plastics factory, 5750 W. 118th St. in Alsip, will cease operations by the end of April, according to a news release from Berry, which in late 2003 bought Landis.
The factory makes containers and lids for the food and beverage markets, according to Eva Schmitz, a spokeswoman for Berry.
Laid-off workers would be able to take open jobs at other Berry plants, she said.
In the release, the Indiana-based company said it "will work diligently" to help workers who are losing their jobs in Alsip.
The company said the Alsip shutdown will enable the company to "maximize capacity utilization across its facilities, while increasing the service provided to its customers."
Landis Plastics' founder, H. Richard Landis, was inducted into the Plastics Academy's Plastics Hall of Fame last year. He has been recognized as a pioneer in plastic injection molding.
Landis and his father started molding plastic wall tiles in 1954 and in 1962 began producing plastic coffee can lids for Folgers coffee.
(Source: Sun-Times Media Wire © Chicago Sun-Times 2013. All Rights Reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.)
