The Daicel Safety Systems Americas Inc. plant in Beaver Dam is closing, according to a letter addressed to all employees Thursday from the parent company’s President/CEO. The plant is expected to fully close by March 31, 2024, with the first workforce reductions beginning this August, according to the letter.
In the letter, Daicel Corporation President/CEO Takuma Nishina said the company wants to “provide a smooth transition to your next career,” including hosting job fairs this summer.
According to the letter, full-time employees will be given at least 60 days notes in advance of when their position will be affected, and all those who stay on until released will be eligible for up to 13 weeks of severance pay.
More information is expected to be communicated to employees in the coming weeks.
A copy of the letter was obtained by Owensboro Times and reads as follows:
The Daicel Corporation has made the difficult decision to end operations at the Daicel Safety Systems Americas Inc. Kentucky location. We anticipate that the plant closure activity will be complete by March 31st, 2024, with the first workforce reduction occurring in late August 2023. Many employees will be retained beyond the August timeframe for end of production, shipping and receiving, administrative, and plant shutdown activities.
We recognize this is an uncertain time for our employees, and Daicel is committed to providing a smooth transition to your next career. As mentioned in previous communications, ALL full-time employees will be eligible to receive 13 weeks of severance pay if they remain employed until released. ALL employees will receive an individually written notice a minimum of 60 days in advance of when they will be affected by a workforce reduction. DSSA is planning to host on-site and off-site job fairs in both July and August. The State of Kentucky also offers a Rapid Response Unit for these types of events to help affected employees transition to new employment as quickly as possible. We will be issuing a separate Questions and Answers document to address the many questions we anticipate from employees. This will include information regarding severance, benefits, unemployment, transfer opportunities, etc.
We sincerely appreciate the contributions and efforts our many dedicated employees have made over the years.
This decision was not made lightly nor without significant efforts to find an alternative outcome. We hope to continue our cooperation with employees to end operations safely and with the focus on continuing to deliver a high-quality product to the public. It is Daicel’s sincere goal to provide you the appropriate resources, time, and support to transition to your next opportunity. While you will receive additional information in the coming weeks, please do not hesitate to contact your manager or any member of the management team if you have any questions or concerns.
