[Southsider2k12]

http://thenewsdispatch.com/articles/2011/0...2f791032318.txt

ThermoSafe to close site here

ThermoSafe Brands will close its facility off Woodland Avenue by the end of 2011. Photo by Matt Field
By Matt Field
Staff Writer
Published: Saturday, January 8, 2011 5:06 PM CST
MICHIGAN CITY — ThermoSafe Brands will close its local facility in the Michigan City Enterprise Center by the end of 2011, putting approximately 100 jobs in jeopardy.

Greg Sipla, executive vice president of Tegrant Corp., ThermoSafe’s parent company, said Friday that employees were told earlier this week the plant will close.

After a recent acquisition, Sipla said, “(Tegrant is) just evaluating our overall footprint. We have a number of facilities across the country, and we’re trying to make our network as efficient as possible for our customers.”

DeKalb, Ill.,-based Tegrant doesn’t divulge the number of people employed at individual facilities, Sipla said, but Mayor Chuck Oberlie and John Regetz, Michigan City Economic Development Corp. executive director, put the figure at about 100.

ThermoSafe Vice President of Operations Stefan Polywka, who broke the news to employees earlier this week, echoed Sipla’s sentiment in that the company is optimizing its “footprint.”

“That announcement was made for the benefit of employes,” he said, “particularly with this much notice.”

The move to close the plant off Woodland Avenue comes as Tegrant announced the acquisition of an Indianapolis-based firm that has facilities in the United States and Mexico.

ThermoSafe Brands manufactures foam products.

Oberlie said Friday he heard this week from plant employees who said the facility would be closing.

“My understanding is that they’ll be consolidating in a facility in another community,” Oberlie said. “What they’re looking for is an opportunity to increase production in a larger facility.”