DuPont Teijin Films consolidating PET film extrusion, closing facility

DuPont (Wilmington DE) joint venture DuPont Teijin Films (Hopewell, VA) is consolidating its U.S. PET film production operations to a single site at Hopewell. The joint venture with Japan’s Teijin (Osaka) plans to shut down its Florence, SC plant by the end of 2010, resulting in a loss of 210 manufacturing jobs.

This move follows closure of its Circleville, OH operation in February 2009, and shutdown of a production line in Luxembourg in June 2009. DuPont Teijin Films continues to operate a film processing site in Richmond, VA that specializes in coated flexible packaging; it also recently announced job cuts there.

All of the job cuts are seen as part of DuPont’s efforts to cut costs. In May, the company announced plans to eliminate 2000 jobs as part of a restructuring that it estimated could save the company $225 million annually by 2010. Coatings and color technologies, electronics and communication technologies, performance materials, and safety and protection will be the sectors most hit by the reductions. In the last year DuPont has cut 4500 jobs and laid off 10,000 contract workers.

The restructured DuPont Teijin Films will focus on plant capability and productivity at the remaining U.S. plant as it addresses structural changes in the PET film industry. New investment efforts will focus on key markets such as electronics, medical, and industrial, as well as emerging green technology applications such as the photovoltaic market, say the JV partners. —[email protected]