Plant doing well despite its pending closure

ALBANY, Mo. -- The town's largest employer still expects to close, but business hasn't slowed. In fact, the workers are at their busiest and some are getting overtime.

Milwaukee-based Johnson Controls Inc. said in June that it will close the 220-employee York Engineered Systems plant next year and move production to Mexico. But layoffs planned for October have not come. Instead, the company has a full work force and has even rehired some of its laid-off workers.

"We've got a lot more business than we can walk away from," plant manager Bill Perry said.

Johnson Controls bought the York plant, which makes commercial and industrial air handler units, last December. It will close by the end of May or first of June.

"It's kind of ironic that Johnson is trying to shut the place down, yet we're swamped with work," said Kevin Harding, market president for Great Western Bank, which has branches throughout the region.

The planned plant closing has caused economic worries among other businesses. The home market also is reacting -- residents are holding off on improvements and more homes are up for sale.