A filtration company is closing its LaPorte plant and laying off 173 workers.
Freudenberg Residential Filtration Technologies told the Indiana Department of Labor in a Workers Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) it plans to close its LaPorte plant and relocate the operation downstate.
The multinational company, headquartered in Weinheim, Germany, employs more than 52,100 people in 60 countries, according to its website. The 175-year-old privately held firm makes filters, seals, specialty chemicals, vibration control components, technical textiles, medical products, cleaning products, fuel cells and batteries for more than 40 markets across the world. Freudenberg Group, the parent company, reported more than $13.86 billion in revenue last year.
In a letter to the state, the company said, "We are providing this notice to communicate an impending plant closure and mass layoff. As part of our strategic planning, the decision has been made to relocate operations to a new facility in Lebanon, Indiana.”
Layoff notices began to be sent Oct. 6, and the layoffs themselves will start 60 days after that. It expects to lay off 173 workers. The company said it will permanently close the LaPorte facility on Dec. 5.
