PETERSBURG, Va. (WTVR) – Two hundred and forty people will lose their jobs when the Boehringer Ingelheim Chemicals, Inc., (BICI) plant in Petersburg shuts down.
Today the company announced to planned to close the plant at the end of 2014.
“This was a very difficult decision and one that we did not make until we had explored all of our options,” Dr. Manfred Psiorz, president and CEO of Boehringer Ingelheim Chemicals, Inc., said in a statement. “We wanted to give our employees as much notice as possible, so they have time to explore other employment opportunities. At this moment, our primary goal is to support our employees. ”
The company said it planned to operate “as normal” for the next several months. The company’s “multi-stage” closure process would begin in December.
In a statement, BICI said the decision to close the plant was an issue of supply and demand. There was too much of the active pharmaceutical ingredients made in Petersburg for the marketplace to absorb.
“The pharmaceutical industry is going through dramatic changes and manufacturing needs are being impacted by that change,” Dr. Psiorz said. “Our employees did a fabulous job operating this plant, but this decision was driven by factors in the market that were beyond our control.”
BICI said it would work with city and state officials to find an appropriate use for the plant.
