Dow to close Texas plant, lay off workers - report

17 January 2009 00:21  [Source: ICIS news]

HOUSTON (ICIS news)--Dow Chemical will shut a vinyl resins unit at its Texas City plant in Texas later this year and lay off an unspecified number of workers there and at other sites as part of its company-wide restructuring, a newspaper reported on Friday.

Dow hopes to reassign its 58 workers at that unit, according to the Houston Chronicle.

The Texas City unit joins two other plants at the Texas Freeport complex - Styrene I at Plant B and Chlor Alkali at Oyster Creek - that will also be closed as part of the restructuring.

Workers were being laid off at all of the Michigan-based chemical giant's Texas operations, according to the newspaper.

Company spokespersons did not immediately return calls seeking comment.

In related news, Dow subsidiary Angus Chemical is eliminating 17 full-time positions at its site in Sterlington, Louisiana, the company said. The reductions represent 9% of the workforce at the site.

Out of the 17 positions, eight are unfilled, two are transfers to other sites and seven are layoffs, the company said.

Angus also plans to restart its two largest plants, which produce nitroparaffin and its derivatives, the company said. The plants were shut down in the fourth quarter in response to reduced demand.

(Additional reporting by Al Greenwood)

For more on Dow visit ICIS company intelligence
For more on Dow's Texas plants, visit ICIS plants and projects
To discuss issues facing the chemical industry go to ICIS connect

By: Lane Kelley
+1 713 525 2653

For the latest chemical news, data and analysis that directly impacts your business sign up for a free trial to ICIS news - the breaking online news service for the global chemical industry.

Get the facts and analysis behind the headlines from our market leading weekly magazine: sign up to a free trial to ICIS Chemical Business.

Printer Friendly