Aluminum extrusion products maker closing Kentland plant

An aluminum extrusion products manufacturer is shuttering its only Newton County operation later this year.

Richmond, Va.-based Tredegar Corp. said last week its Bonnell Aluminum subsidiary plant in Kentland, which employs 146 people, would close by the end of the third quarter, a statement on Tredegar's website shows.

In a letter to the Indiana Department of Workforce Development, Bonnell Aluminum said four rounds of employee cuts would begin April 3. United Steelworkers Local 118 represents many employees at the facility.

Bonnell Aluminum makes products largely for the building and construction markets.

"This was a difficult decision to make, and we regret the impact this decision will have on our employees in Kentland," Bonnell Aluminum President Duncan Crowdis said in a statement on Tredegar's website. "While the employees have made an exceptional effort to help weather the current construction recession, prospects for a significant recovery in Kentland's core market, residential building and construction, now appear to be well into the future. Eligible employees will be offered severance and outplacement services."

Tredegar said the Kentland plant had sales of $38 million in 2010 and has operated at a loss for the past several years. The company estimated it would assume charges of $8 million tied to the shutdown over the next 18 months.