Amweld closes plant in Niles

NILES — Amweld Building Products has closed its Niles plant, which employed 100.

The door maker said Oct. 8 that it was closing the plant and another one in Garrettsville and moving production to Mexico. The company said at the time that the closings would occur in coming months.

Amweld intended to continue manufacturing in Ohio while it moved operations, but it said Thursday that it has been unable to maintain a reasonable level of production in Niles.

“We simply cannot afford to keep the plant operating under these conditions,” said Joel Christman, chief financial officer for Ark II Manufacturing, Amweld’s parent company.

Workers will continue to be paid through Dec. 11 to meet a federal law that requires 60-day notice before a plant is closed, Christman said.

Operations at the Garrettsville plant, which employs 170, will continue for now, he said.

Also, Amweld is moving its headquarters from Garrettsville, in Portage County, to Stow, in Summit County. It is moving 45 salaried workers from its current headquarters to its new one.

Amweld said last month that moving production to Mexico would allow it to combine operations under one roof and give it better access to growth markets in southern and western states and Latin America.