Rexam shuts down two facilities

Clear plastics container company Rexam is scheduled to close two U.S. plastics plants early next year in North Carolina and Florida, letting go about 285 people. Last month, the company announced the upcoming closing of its Hamlet N.C. plant, planned for the first quarter of 2010.

According to spokesman for Rexam Americas Greg Brooke, the company’s equipment will be transported from Hamlet to other U.S. plants to adjust overall production capacity. In addition, Graham Chipchase, group director of custom plastics packaging, said in a statement that Rexam is aligning manufacturing to improve operations.

“It allows us to improve the overall utilization of our existing operations, balance capacity and demand and continue our focus on delivering world-class quality products and services to customers,” he said.