H.B. Fuller Co. will close five manufacturing plants and cut about 100 jobs as the specialty chemical maker incorporates the operations of recently acquired Forbo Group, an industrial adhesives business.
The company said it eventually plans to cut 370 jobs in all. Plants scheduled to be closed over the next two years include those in Chatteris, U.K.; Pirmasens, Germany; Vigo, Spain, Borgolavezzaro, Italy and Wels, Austria. It is also closing factories in Pointe-Claire, Quebec; Morris, Ill.; Kansas City, Kan.; Eugene, Ore; Jackson, Tenn. and Dallas by mid-2013.
The announcement Thursday comes a little over a month after H.B. Fuller said that it would close six factories by mid-2013 and cut 130 jobs across its North American adhesives business.
H.B. Fuller closed on the acquisition March in a deal valued at roughly $394 million. It bought operations that generated about $580 million in revenue during 2011 and included 17 factories in 10 countries.
The job cuts announced Thursday will occur in sales, finance, customer service and research and development. The company had about 3,500 employees overall as of Dec. 3, according to a filing with Securities & Exchange Commission.
