Cleveland, OH, Aug. 6—Plastics manufacturer PolyOne Corp. will upgrade eight colorization plants and close four others as part of an ongoing restructuring effort.

180 workers will be laid off with the closings in 2002 at plants in Broadview Heights; Florence, Kentucky; Gastonia, North Carolina; and Somerset, New Jersey. Expansion of production lines at eight remaining facilities will create 30 new jobs.

“We’re going to make every attempt to get those 30 people from the facilities we’re closing,” said company spokesman Dennis Cocco.

PolyOne plans to invest $18 million to increase production capacity by 15% at its eight remaining colorization facilities. The company expects consolidation of its operations throughout its plastic compounds and colors division will save $35 million to $50 million a year.

In June, PolyOne announced the closing of three and expansion of four engineered materials plants. The final consolidation, in the company's vinyl compounding lines, will be announced later this year, Cocco said.

Copyright 2001 Floor Focus Inc