According to its president Jim Hamilton; “The total number of jobs lost as a result of this plant closure is not known at this time, though we project that it will affect less than five percent of its total workforce.”
“In an effort to streamline operations to meet the increasing demand from customers for cost containment, we have made the difficult decision to close our Louisville manufacturing plant”, he added.
Many of the 35 full-time employees are being given the opportunity to apply for open positions at one of Colbert’s other locations; “We are doing everything we can to make the transition less difficult for employees and retain as many of them as possible”, Hamilton points out.
The company known for its stock box program, which was acquired from Dayton Carton in its 2009 acquisition, will be moved to Colbert’s 109,000 square foot facility in Elkhart.
As a result of the closing, three other facilities will gain equipment and accounts while customers will “benefit from increased capacity, operational improvements, and ultimately, the cost containment they require.”
Customers currently serviced through Louisville will be transitioned to other facilities, including its operations in Lake Forest, Illinois and Elkhart, Indiana which are set to experience an increase in production capacity as a result of the closure.
“We are committed to delivering the same level of service to customers that have come to expect from us in Louisville”, Hamilton concluded.
Equipment currently used in Louisville will also be transferred to the other Colbert facilities. Operations are set to cease completely over the next sixty days.