Intermet Closing Ill. Plant

Intermet Corp. announced that it has developed plans to close its ductile- iron foundry in Decatur, Ill. If the company proceeds with the plan the Decatur foundry will be closed by the end of this year.

The Decatur Foundry manufactures ductile-iron cast components for a number of automakers and Tier 1 suppliers.

Gary Ruff, Intermet chairman and CEO, said, "While the Decatur Foundry has been important for our ductile-iron business in the past, exposure to legacy and other fixed costs at this location, coupled with Intermet’s capacity-optimization strategy relative to its plan of reorganization, requires us to consider this action. We believe that closure of the Decatur facility would allow Intermet to become more competitive as we emerge from Chapter 11, while preserving flexibility in our Ferrous Metals Group to ensure that future market demand can be met.

“If the foundry is closed, it is our intention to transfer its business to other INTERMET ductile-iron foundries in Columbus, Ga., Hibbing, Minn., Lynchburg, Va., and Radford, Va."