Purina to close Cape facility

Nestle Purina Petcare Co. will close its cat litter product division facility in Cape Girardeau this summer, company officials say.

The facility employs about 40 people. They all will be offered the opportunity to stay with the company, officials said.

Nestle Purina plans to transfer a few jobs to its Golden Products cat litter manufacturing plant in Bloomfield, Mo. The majority of affected employees will be offered an opportunity to relocate to the company's headquarters in St. Louis, company officials said.

The closing of the Cape Girardeau facility at 300 Airport Road and the relocating of jobs is expected to start in June and be completed by the end of August, officials said.

Bob Watt, president of the Golden Products division, said the company did a thorough analysis before deciding to close the Cape Girardeau facility.

Analysis revealed the need to consolidate to create a single, cohesive team, Watt said in a news release.

The move will make the business more efficient, he said.

"This was a difficult decision to make and is in no way a reflection on the Cape Girardeau work force," he said.

The employees at the Cape Girardeau office have an outstanding performance record, he said.

Cape Girardeau Mayor Jay Knudtson said he was disappointed about the loss of jobs in the community.

But he said he understands the company's decision. "I respect the fact that companies have to make decisions that make good financial sense," Knudtson said.

Cape Girardeau has been home to a cat-litter business for several decades. At one time, the Cape Girardeau facility housed an engineering and research operation for Edward Lowe Industries. Edward Lowe developed cat litter in the 1940s and later expanded his business.

Lowe was the featured speaker at a marketing conference at Southeast Missouri State University in 1988.

Lowe sold his business to the Golden Cat Corp. in 1990. Purina bought the business in 1995.

Nestle Purina Petcare is part of Swiss-based Nestle S.A., the world's largest food company.

mbliss@semissourian.com

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