Klцckner Pentaplast to close Dutch packaging films plant

Klцckner Pentaplast is to close its packaging films plant at Weert, the Netherlands, affecting 370 jobs. The facility was built in 1960 and produced around 22,000 tonnes of PET and 36,000 tonnes of PVC films last year. However, in the last five years understands the site has lost E24.5m.

Following discussions with management and works council, the company concluded: “The only way to bring losses to a halt is the actual termination of the operations and the relocation of all activities to other plants in Europe.” Four production lines at Weert – two running PET and two for PVC films – are likely to be transferred to Klцckner’s main site in Montabaur, Germany and the Neoplastica business in Girona, Spain.

The fate of the other production lines has yet to be decided, but scrapping them is said to be a possibility. The staged shutdown of Weert is expected to take 18 to 24 months. Klцckner will finance a social plan, understood to be worth E6m, for the employees. It is understood that 70 people in marketing and sales and 20 in production could be offered other jobs in Germany and Spain.