MeadWestvaco Corporation (NYSE:MWV) today announced that it will
reconfigure its Home & Garden primary plastics operation in Hemer,
Germany, as part of the company’s accelerated strategic cost management
program announced January 2009. The reconfiguration will improve the
plant’s efficiency, optimize its mix of value-added products and
solutions, and provide a more profitable platform for the Home & Garden
business.
The company will transfer some of its production lines to MWV’s Wuxi,
China, facility, which will supply select Home & Garden products to
Europe. The Hemer Home & Garden operation will concentrate on producing
and growing its high-value, differentiated trigger sprayer solutions
business in Europe. The full transition is expected to be completed by
January 2010.
“We are improving MWV’s immediate performance and long-term strength in
the Home & Garden business by making clear determinations about which
product lines have growth potential and those that are less attractive
in the future,” said Jim Buzzard, MWV president. “Our objective is to
ensure we lead in the markets we serve with a profitable mix of
value-added solutions and services that consumers want and need. We will
continue to deliver to our customers the innovative dispensing solutions
they have come to expect.”
As a result of these changes, 80 hourly and salaried positions will be
eliminated. Affected employees are eligible for severance benefits in
accordance with employment terms and local laws. The company has engaged
a transfer agency to assist affected employees with finding alternative
work arrangements.
MWV serves the Home & Garden, Personal Care and Healthcare markets from
its Hemer location, which includes two production plants. The Home &
Garden operation produces trigger sprayers for use with household
cleaners and gardening applications. The Personal Care and Healthcare
operation develops and produces pumps and dispensers for their
respective markets, and the product lines to support these businesses
are not impacted by the Home & Garden reconfiguration. The location
currently employs 495 hourly and salaried professionals and has been in
operation in the area since 1972.
About MWV
MeadWestvaco Corporation (NYSE:MWV), provides packaging solutions to
many of the world’s most-admired brands in the healthcare, personal and
beauty care, food, beverage, media and entertainment, and home and
garden industries. The company's businesses include Consumer & Office
Products, Specialty Chemicals, and the Community Development and Land
Management Group, which sustainably manages the company’s land holdings
to support its operations, and to provide for conservation, recreation
and development opportunities. With 22,000 employees worldwide, MWV
operates in 30 countries and serves customers in more than 100 nations.
MWV manages all of its forestlands in accordance with internationally
recognized forest certification standards, and has been named to the Dow
Jones Sustainability World Index for the fifth consecutive year. For
more information, please visit www.mwv.com.
MeadWestvaco Corporation
Media Contact
Alison
von Puschendorf, +1 804-327-7284
mediainquiries@mwv.com
or
Investor
Relations
Jason Thompson, +1 804-201-2556
