AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT WESTROCK (09/21/23)

SEPTEMBER 21, 2023 — FRIDLEY, MINNESOTA PLANT TO CLOSE WITH 70 LAYOFFS.

The company has announced the layoffs of 70 employees at its Fridley, Minnesota plant. Layoffs will begin November 13, 2023, and continue until the facility permanently closes its doors.

AUGUST 27, 2023 — TACOMA, WASHINGTON MILL SHUT DOWN WITH 400 EMPLOYEE LAYOFFS

WestRock announced it would “permanently cease operating its paper mill in Tacoma, Washington, and will conclude production by September 30, 2023.

400 employees are impacted.

According to a company statement…

“The combination of high operating costs and the need for significant capital investment were the determining factors in the decision to cease operations at the mill.”

“WestRock is working to optimize our operational footprint and consolidate production in order to improve our return on invested capital, and we have made the difficult decision to close the Tacoma mill as part of this effort.”

“One of the most critical factors we consider when making the difficult decision to close a facility is the impact it will have on the lives of our team members, and we are committed to assisting our Tacoma team with exploring roles at other WestRock locations and nearby companies as well as providing outplacement assistance.”

OCTOBER 6, 2022 — PLANT CLOSURE IN ST. PAUL, MINNESOTA

The company announced that it will permanently close the corrugated cardboard manufacturing operations at its St. Paul, Minnesota, recycled paper mill.

The closure will impact approximately 130 employees.

According to a company statement…

“The production of coated recycled board at this location will remain in operation.

WestRock is committed to improving its return on invested capital as well as maximizing the performance of its assets, and the corrugated medium machinery at the St. Paul location would require significant capital investment to maintain and improve going forward. The shutdown of these assets will result in the reduction of 200,000 tons of annual corrugated medium production.”

According to WestRock CEO David Sewell, “Shutting down operations and impacting the lives of our employees is a difficult decision to make. As we implement our plans to close the corrugated medium operations in St. Paul, we are incredibly appreciative for the many contributions this team has made. We plan to assist these team members in exploring roles at other WestRock locations and with outplacement services.”

APRIL 8, 2022 — PANAMA CITY, FLORIDA PLANT TO CLOSE

The company has announced it will permanently cease operations at its containerboard mill in Panama City, Florida, by June 6, 2022, and transfer operations to other company facilities.

The closure will impact 450 employees.

The decision was driven by the company’s reluctance to modernize the plant as they concentrate on more profitable containerboard products.

According to WestRock CEO David B. Sewell, “A decision to close a facility and impact the lives of our employees is never easy to make. As we implement our plans to close the Panama City mill, we do so with great appreciation for the many contributions of the team there. We are committed to assisting our Panama City team with exploring roles at other WestRock locations and outplacement assistance.”

AUGUST 28, 2018 — Original post

Norcross, Georgia-based WestRock, the nation’s second-largest manufacturer of paper and packaging products, has announced that they are optimizing their manufacturing capabilities and closing their 185,000-square-foot Charlotte, North Carolina facility; laying off 170 employees in the process.

The workload will be distributed among other WestRock facilities. As expected, a company spokesperson notes, “The decision was made from an efficiency standpoint. We have the capacity in our network that we’re able to consolidate. All employees are strongly encouraged to look at other opportunities within the network.”

In Westrock’s 2018 Third Quarter SEC filing, CEO Steve Voorhees noted “Our WestRock team delivered significant margin and cash flow improvement in the third fiscal quarter, evidence that our strategy, operational performance, and productivity efforts are delivering value for our stockholders. With our productivity performance in the quarter, we achieved our goal of a run rate of more than $1 billion of synergy and performance improvements. We are on track to achieve our financial goals for the year and are well-positioned to build on our success in fiscal 2019.”

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AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT NESTLE WATERS (09/18/21)

SEPTEMBER 18, 2021 — LAYOFFS FOLLOWING ACQUISITION OF NORTH AMERICA BRANDS

After conducting a strategic review of its company’s activities, Nestle recently sold its Nestle Waters North America brands, which included Pure Life, Poland Spring, Deer Park, Ozarka, and delivery service ReadyRefresh, in February 2021 for $4.3 billion. The purchaser was One Rock Capital Partners, which renamed the company Blue Triton.

According to a company statement, “As the bottled water industry continues to face an array of headwinds, BlueTriton Brands, now a smaller company, is charting a re-imagined course to thrive amidst changing consumer preferences in a rapidly evolving marketplace.”

To compete successfully, we must continually assess how to effectively allocate and align resources, ensuring we have the right structures and sufficient capacity to do what needs to be done on accelerated time frames.

Accordingly, we have recently taken steps to reorganize our internal structure and realign resources to strengthen key functions. Unfortunately, this process also included eliminating certain positions. We recognize the personal impact of these changes on affected employees, and we are providing transition support, including separation benefits that recognize tenure and their many contributions to the company.”

An unknown number of employees at the company’s Poland and Hollis Maine facilities. The company added, “We do not anticipate reducing production at those facilities.”

AUGUST 27, 2018 — Original post…

As part of a company-wide restructuring effort Stamford, Connecticut-based Nestle Waters North America Inc. has announced that it will be closing its ReadyRefresh distribution facility in Kearny, New Jersey, and laying off 175 employees.  

ReadyRefresh distributes brands such as Poland Spring, Perrier, S. Pellegrino, and Nestle Pure Life to home and commercial customers.

Nestle disputes the characterization that the workers are being laid off because they are being assigned to other facilities in Jersey City, New Jersey; Carlstadt, New Jersey; Long Island City, New York, and Elmsford, New York. However, employees who do not choose to relocate will be laid off. 

The company’s spokesperson noted, “We are implementing a series of operational changes within ReadyRefresh branch locations serving the New York metropolitan area. These operational changes are part of our business strategy to optimize our delivery process and strengthen our organization for future growth."

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. Just because something bad 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. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?
 

AM I NEXT? NO LOVE AT AWESOMENESSTV

Santa Monica, California-based digital media company, AwesomenessTV will be laying off 98 employees, approximately 50% of its workforce, at its Santa Monica offices as a natural consequence of its acquisition by New York City-based Viacom. The reduction-in-force included senior management including CEO Jordan Levin.

A Viacom spokesperson noted, “As we begin to integrate Awesomeness and streamline the organization within Viacom, a number of positions were impacted yesterday. We are grateful for the many contributions of each individual and continue to work diligently to ensure a smooth transition.”

It appears that the company was mortally wounded by Verizon” decision to abandon their Go90 video service and its 24.5% investment purchased for $159 million and a multiyear content distribution deal valued at approximately $150 million. The majority owner appeared to be Comcast/NBCUniversal with 51%; Hearst and (TechCrunch parent company by way of Oath) with 24.5%; and Verizon, with 24.5% purchased for $159 million and a multiyear content distribution deal valued at approximately $150 million. Viacom’s purchase price was said to be under $300 million, less than one-half of the company’s valuation.

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