Plastics Manufacturer Laying Off 93 In Arkansas Plant Closing

Fort Smith, AR (AHN) - Plastics manufacturer Jarden Process Solutions will close its Fort Smith, AR manufacturing plant in January and lay off 93 workers, company officials said Tuesday.

The plant manufactured plastic inserts for appliances, primarily thermo-plastic refrigerator linings for Whirlpool. Whirlpool recently laid off 700 workers because of slumping appliance sales, so there was decreased demand for the plastic liners.

Jarden Process Solutions is a division of Rye, N.Y-headquartered Jarden Corporation (NYSE: JAH). On Oct. 30, the company reported a net income of $111.5 million, or $1.46 per diluted share, for the first nine months of 2008 compared to net income of $39.3 million, or $0.54 per diluted share, in the nine months that ended September 30, 2007.

Jarden Corp. has over 25,000 employees worldwide, according to the Oct. 30 news release. It is a leading provider of niche consumer products.

Jarden operates in three primary business segments through a number of well recognized brands, according to the company.

The company produces products used in a variety of consumer goods used in the home, including kitchen and health products, as well as consumer goods used in outdoor pursuits such as camping and fishing.

Those products are in brands that include: Outdoor Solutions: Abu Garcia(R), Berkley(R), Campingaz(R) and Coleman(R), Fenwick(R), Gulp!(R), JT(R), K2(R), Marker(R), Marmot(R), Mitchell(R), Penn(R), Rawlings(R), Shakespeare(R), Stearns(R), Stren(R), Trilene(R) and Volkl(R); Consumer Solutions: Bionaire(R), Crock-Pot(R), FoodSaver(R), Health o meter(R), Holmes(R), Mr. Coffee(R), Oster(R), Patton(R), Rival(R), Seal-a-Meal(R), Sunbeam(R), VillaWare(R) and White Mountain(R); and Branded Consumables: Ball(R), Bee(R), Bicycle(R), Crawford(R), Diamond(R), Dicon(R), First Alert(R), Forster(R), Hoyle(R), Kerr(R), Lehigh(R), Leslie-Locke(R), Loew Cornell(R) and Pine Mountain(R).