LAWRENCEVILLE, PA. (WENY) – Waupaca Foundry announced it will close its ductile iron foundry plant in Tioga County, Pennsylvania in early August 2020.

Officials say the closure is an “alignment of manufacturing operations in the United States and is a result of capacity that exceeds demand in supply chain”.

“It's critical that we stay in front of changing market conditions and customer demand for long-term sustainability,” said Waupaca Foundry President, COO and CEO Mike Nikolai. “Our ability to remain flexible in an evolving marketplace will continue to create opportunity for our employees and customers.”

Employees were notified on Wednesday. Officials say nearly 150 hourly and 50 salary positions will be eliminated.

“Waupaca Foundry explored multiple alternatives to closing the plant – none of which are viable,” said Vice President of Operations Rick Sutton. “The global pandemic heightened the need to find solutions to better serve our customers.”

The Lawrenceville plant creates automotive suspension products including steering knuckles, control arms and brackets for OEMs. Officials say parts products at the foundry will move to other plants and will also continue to be machined and assembled at the Effingham, Illinois location.

Waupaca Foundry is the leading supplier of cast and machined iron components for various industries including automotive, off-highway, commercial vehicles. It operates seven iron foundries with 1.5 million tons of capacity, as well as three machining and casting finishing operations in the United States.