QUAPAW, Okla. (AP) — A northeastern Oklahoma plant has announced plans to lay off nearly a quarter of its workforce.
Umicore Optical Materials USA said Tuesday that it will lay off 34 of its 137 workers at its plant in Quapaw. Umicore's Timothy Douglas tells the Miami News-Record (http://is.gd/1OIPmJ ) that all affected employees were offered severance packages and job-seeking assistants.
The plant manufactures products for the U.S. aerospace sector and other industries.
Douglas says the company has seen a reduced demand because of the availability of cheaper silicon products. He says the company does not anticipate additional layoffs at the plant in Quapaw.
Umicore Opticals Materials USA is part of Belgium-based Umicore, which has 14,000 employees worldwide.
