Closure rumors surround Poplar Bluff plastics plant

POPLAR BLUFF, Mo. -- Employees of Fortis Plastic LLC have begun submitting applications at other local factories and visiting the area career development centers amid rumors the manufacturer will soon shutter its Poplar Bluff location.

Management at the facility said they could not comment regarding the positions of the approximately 130 workers there.

"Right at the moment, we are not prepared to make a statement," human resources director Donna Clark said.

Revere Plastics Systems general manager Danny Neff said inquiries about positions at his facility started 30 minutes to an hour after an announcement about the closure was made Monday morning to Fortis employees. Both companies supply injection-molded plastic components for items such as appliances and power tools.

It is too early to say how many positions Revere will have available, Neff said, but the company will certainly be looking at applications from experienced Fortis workers.

"It's partially because with [Fortis] closing, we don't know if we are going to pick up work from any of their customers," Neff said. Revere, with about 140 workers, was seeking additional employees because of an increased workload before Fortis' announcement.

Greater Poplar Bluff Area Chamber of Commerce president Steve Halter is hopeful other local plastics manufacturers, like Revere, will be able to take on staff from Fortis, should it close.

Briggs and Stratton Corp., receives a significant amount of molded plastic components from Fortis and has always used local businesses, Halter said. Briggs began a layoff of more than 200 of its employees Friday.

Fortis announced the closure of another location, that employed 60 people in Henderson, Ky., less than a year ago. Equipment there is scheduled to be auctioned and off site by Friday.

A newspaper in Fort Smith, Ark., reported Thursday concerns that Fortis' location there could be closing.

Fortis Plastics was created in 2008 when Monomoy Capital Partners acquired and merged the custom molding divisions of Leggett & Platt, Inc., which had a site in Poplar Bluff, and Atlantis Plastics, Inc. By early 2009, it had 10 facilities in the U.S. and Mexico which supplied injection molded and profile extruded plastic components to the appliance, medical device, furniture and power tool industry, according to Monomoy.