Berkley Medical Resources closing manufacturing plant near Smithfield
More than 50 jobs expected to be lost at medical supplies production facility
Submitted photo
Berkley Medical Resources Inc. is shuttering its manufacturing plant near Smithfield at the end of the year and laying off at least 50 employees who work at the location.
Company President and CEO John Berkley announced the impending closure Tuesday and said the plant at the Fayette Business Park in Georges Township will cease manufacturing on Nov. 27, with the warehouse and distribution center closing at the end of December.
The company issued a notice through the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act listed on the state Department of Labor & Industry’s website, and also contacted the Mid-Atlantic Regional Joint Board UNITE union representing the workers. It’s not known how many employees currently work at the plant, but a WARN notice is required when at least 50 jobs are being eliminated through a closure.
The plant produces medical supplies, such as non-woven wipers for cleaning. A sister production facility in Uniontown, which will soon begin producing disposable laundry sheets, is not affected by the closure.
The closure shocked county and state leaders who were unaware of the reasons why the company is shuttering the operations.
Mark Rafail, who serves as the economic development coordinator for Fayette County, said officials are trying to arrange a meeting with the company to learn more details about the closure.
“We don’t know what the situation is because we don’t know exactly what the whole circumstances are,” Rafail said. “We want to do everything in our power, but we can’t speculate if we don’t know what the whole situation is.”
Republican state Rep. Charity Grimm Krupa, whose district includes the Smithfield plant, said she spoke to the factory’s leadership Wednesday while trying to get more information on the closure.
“I think this is another blow to our local economy and I think the liberal economic policies are punishing our citizens at every level,” she said. “The workers are going to be laid off (but) there is potentially a new venture (Berkley) is considering and I’m hoping to get these laid off employees in new positions until another venture is up and running soon. … From what I heard, it sounds promising.”
According to UNITE Local 131A, there are 68 union employees at the Smithfield plant and 22 at the Uniontown location. Neither the company nor union officials could be reached by telephone for additional comment on the closure.
In a press release, the company said it hopes to reopen the plant near Smithfield by the end of next year, utilizing new, highly-automated production lines. The company did not say what would be produced there or how many workers might be hired to run the operations.
“It is exceedingly rare for companies to survive and succeed for over a century, and those that do have done so by adapting to change and continually looking for new opportunities,” said Berkley, who noted the company is family owned and has been in business for 128 years. “We are working very hard to find a new purpose for this plant and come back stronger than ever.”