Panasonic plant closure to hit 250 workers

Panasonic Primary Battery Corporation of America plans to close one of three battery manufacturing facilities in Columbus, in the first quarter of 2008.

Plant administrators informed the 250 employees of the decision on Monday, citing competition from Chinese imports. A employee who recently left the company said they had no prior warning of the impending closure of the facility, which makes alkaline batteries.

Local officials of the Osaka-based firm, a subsidiary of Matsushita, said they planned to offer severance packages, and would work with state officials to retrain employees.

The company's two other facilities will be unaffected by the March 31 closure, and will employ over 100 workers, according to a report in the Ledger-Enquirer newspaper.

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