Belcher Corp., the oldest continually operating malleable iron foundry in the nation, will close on July 1, a victim of rising energy costs and its own inability to bring its aging plant into compliance with state pollution control regulations.
"It is not profitable to be in business in Massachusetts," said Joe Dynoff, CFO for Belcher. Dynoff said the closing will mean the loss of jobs for 67 union employees.
Belcher's decision to end its Easton, Mass., operation and focus instead on its sister foundries in Texas, Alabama, New York, Connecticut, Ohio and Washington, became official in a meeting with state Department of Environmental Protection officials.
Since September 2004, Belcher had been operating under a consent order from the DEP. The order limited the company's hours of operation, required it to pay for neighborhood environmental testing and new pollution control equipment, and imposed fines if deadlines were not met.
Only a year ago, Belcher completed installation of a $500,000 advanced oxidation system that had been successful in alleviating pollution at other foundries.
More work on other pollution controls was required, but at a meeting last month, Belcher indicated there were questions about whether it would continue its business in Massachusetts, said Gary Moran, DEP regional director, and David Johnston, deputy regional administrator.
On Tuesday, "they let us know they weren't going to be installing air pollution control measures," said Johnston.
Dynoff said utility costs in the Northeast, particularly for electricity and natural gas, also affected the company's decision to close.
A foundry has operated on the Belcher site since 1837 and in its early years manufactured carriage trimmings, whaling spears, cannon parts and fireplace tongs under various owners.
Before the state consent order, Belcher operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week, employed 138 people and was a major supplier of automotive parts to Ford and General Motors. The Enterprise (Massachusetts)
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