Smurfit-Stone closing Mansfield plant in Ohio, cutting 91 jobs

Apr 03, 2009. /Lesprom Network/. Packaging giant Smurfit-Stone Container Corp. is closing a corrugated container plant in Mansfield, Ohio, in May as it works to stay afloat under Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection, as Charlotte Business Journal informed Lesprom Network. The Chicago-based company said in a filing with the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services that the plant on South Illinois Avenue will shut down as early as May 15, eliminating 91 jobs. The company, which employs more than 21,000 workers, also has operations in Washington Court House and Coshocton. Announcement of the closure comes little more than 2 months after Smurfit-Stone sought protection from creditors under Chapter 11 of the Bankruptcy Code for its U.S. and Canadian subsidiaries while struggling under the weight of weakened demand and frozen credit markets. Smurfit-Stone later received Bankruptcy Court clearance to draw on a $750 million debtor-in-possession credit facility, prompting the company to say in regulatory filings that it would be business as usual for its subsidiaries. But Smurfit-Stone warned in its annual report to the Securities and Exchange Commission that it plans close plants and reduce staffing this year to boost profitability.