SEVILLE, Ohio—An Ohio rubber company temporarily is shutting down a portion of its business and making layoffs as the impacts of COVID-19 continue to take hold.
Blair Rubber Co. of Seville informed local and state officials that the business disruption caused by the coronavirus is forcing "a temporary suspension of our roofing membrane and coating production lines," according to a letter revealing the layoffs.
A total of people will be laid off: four calender operators, one coating slitter, two compounders, one mill operator, two mixer operators, one quality technician and one windup operator.
The layoffs began April 16, and Blair said it could not provide a 60-day notice required under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act. WARN requires employers with more than 100 employees to provide the notice.
The company expects all reported layoffs will be in place by May 7.
In the letter, Blair noted it remains optimistic that economic conditions would improve, and "is hopeful that the actions it is taking are temporary and that some or all of these employees will be able to return to work in the future."
Blair calls itself "the only full-service manufacturer in the U.S. offering a complete line of corrosion resistant rubber linings."
Blair is owned by IKO Industries Ltd. of Brampton, Ontario, which has roofing products manufacturing sites in the U.S., Canada and Europe. IKO provides products to nearly 100 countries around the world. Its U.S. headquarters is in Wilmington, Del.