A Michigan-based auto industry supplier plans to close an <link _top>aluminum die-casting plant in Niles by March 31 and is laying off the facility’s 188 employees.
Metaldyne Corp. announced Friday that it would close the plant, at 6119 W. Howard St. in north suburban Niles. A spokeswoman said the 167 hourly and 21 salaried employees at the plant would be laid off.
The building is 130,000 square feet, according to Metaldyne’s Web site. Metaldyne bought the building in 2001 for $4.9 million, real estate research firm CoStar Group Inc. says.
In July, the company began looking to sell the facility.
"After several months we were not able to find a buyer for the Niles plant and given the lower industry volumes we now need to accelerate the closure of the operation,” Thomas Amato, chairman and CEO of Plymouth, Mich.-based Metaldyne, said in a statement. “This action is in line with our product and cost streamlining efforts.”
Metaldyne is wholly owned by Japanese company Asahi Tec.
