InterMetro Industries Corp. is to close its Fostoria plant and move production to Mexico.
According to a news release, the company plans to move the Fostoria manufacturing operations to Acuna, Coahuila, Mexico.
As was stated in the news release, "under the proposed plan, production would begin to be transferred to other facilities beginning in Fall of 2011. Operations at the Fostoria ... plant would be phased out of operation over the next 18-24 months."
Mayor John Davoli said he is concerned about the families of the more than 100 employees.
"It's one of the worst calls a mayor can get from a company," he said in response to the notice the plant would close.
Davoli said he blamed the closing of the plant on the North American Free Trade Agreement, which went into effect in 1993.
"This NAFTA agreement from the past has been nothing but bad for Fostoria," he said. "Some folks don't seem to care about American workers - all they care about is American dollars."
Davoli said he hoped to meet with corporate ownership, but they said it would be moot.
He said the city administration is to work with the Fostoria Economic Development Corp. to market the plant and its employees.
He said Fostoria has added about 100 new jobs in the past six months, but the decision to close InterMetro is like "one step forward, and one step back again."
Information from an employee of Inter Metro said management and employees were notified at 3 p.m. Tuesday of the closing. The employee said the company has a four-year contract with Local UFW 1915, of which two years remain.
The InterMetro facility in Fostoria manufactures polymer-based healthcare products and components.
The company is owned by Emerson, with headquarters in Wilkes-Barre, Pa.
