Cooper Standard officials have announced to employees that the Bowling Green plant will close by 2027, resulting in 175 local workers losing their jobs.
The official statement from the company cited the current “dynamic market” as the reason for the plant closure.
“Cooper Standard must continually analyze plant utilization and cost structure to optimize our manufacturing footprint and overall operating efficiency. As a result, the company made the difficult decision to close our Bowling Green, Ohio, facility,” a press release stated.
Relocation of the business and equipment to other existing Cooper Standard locations will occur over the next several months.
Chris Andrews, communications spokesperson with Cooper, said the company will help employees whose jobs are on the chopping block.
“We always work for that opportunity when it does exist,” Andrews said this afternoon.
The company is committed to providing transitional support to all employees affected by this action, she said, in cooperation with appropriate government agencies and the community of Bowling Green, to make the transition as smooth as possible.
The Cooper Standard plant, at 1175 N. Main St., manufactures sealing and fluid handling systems and components.
The Bowling Green plant has long been part of the region’s automotive manufacturing base. The company, headquartered in Northville, Michigan, manufactures sealing systems, fluid handling systems and other components used in transportation and industrial markets.
“Utilizing our materials science and manufacturing expertise, we create innovative and sustainable engineered solutions for diverse transportation and industrial markets,” the press release stated. “Cooper Standard’s approximately 22,000 team members (including contingent workers) are at the heart of our success, continuously improving our business and surrounding communities.
The company has production operations in 20 countries.
This is not the first time Cooper Standard has significantly reduced operations in Bowling Green. In 2012, the company closed a separate hose manufacturing operation in the city after shifting production to facilities in Kentucky and Mexico. That closure affected more than 200 workers after months of phased layoffs.
The company has not yet submitted a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act notice, according to the state’s website. WARN notices must be provided 60 days before a mass layoff or plant closing.
Already filing a WARN notice is the First Brands Group (formerly Toledo Mold & Die) at 515 E. Gypsy Lane Road in Bowling Green. That company has filed its intention to permanently close the plant, with the 263 employees there being retained through May 31.
