Houston, Texas-based Styropek USA, a major manufacturer of expandable polystyrene, has announced the closure of its BVPV Styrenics chemical facility in Monaca, Pennsylvania. The plant makes the polystyrene beads that go into styrofoam products like cups and take-out containers.
The closure will impact 140 employees in January 2025, with the plant's total closure expected by early 2026.
According to Andreas Plettner, “When we purchased the Beaver Valley facility in October 2020, Styropek knew it was an acquisition of an aging facility. While we made progress in better operationalizing the plant during our roughly four years of operations, the industry has continued to evolve, and the economics of the current market, paired with our long-term goals and sustainability initiatives, make continued investment increasingly difficult.”
Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. We see good people being laid off through no fault of their own. Just because something terrible hasn't happened yet doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. While many employees can read the writing on the wall, why do most assume it’s targeted at someone else? Are you now wondering, Am I Next?