Columbia Forest Products To Cut Staff At Plywood P
Hearst, ON, Nov. 25--Columbia Forest Products today announced the company will reduce operations at its Hearst plywood plant and lay off 39 employees effective December 7, according to Columbia's Canadian general manager Tim Schallich.
The company cited offshore competition, a weakening US dollar and an oversupply of hardwood plywood and particleboard in the North American market as reasons for the reduction.
"Operationally, we are implementing a strategic action plan that includes exploring other profitable North American panel markets for application at Hearst," Schallich said. He added the northern Ontario plant is still recovering from a strike that occurred earlier in the year. "The strike shifted some of our customer base to other Columbia facilities."
Schallich said the plan calls for 39 employees, all from the Hearst hardwood plywood plant, to be indefinitely laid off. Additional reductions may be necessary in the future, but the company is working to minimize impact on staffing.
