US plastics compounder and distributor A. Schulman (Akron, Ohio; www.aschulman.com) is to consolidate its North American production facilities as part of an ongoing review of its manufacturing footprint following a number of acquisitions over the past three years. The company will close its plant in Stryker, Ohio, in April 2015 and relocate the plant’s production to other facilities in North America.

The plant has been producing products primarily for markets in the US and Mexico. It employs approximately 70 people and was part of A. Schulman's acquisition of the "Ferro speciality plastics" business, which was completed in July 2014 – see Plasteurope.com of 12.06.2014 and 08.07.2014.

Additionally, the company announced that it is making selling, general and administrative expenses (SG&A) reductions in North America to help achieve further synergies from recent acquisitions and eliminate duplicated functions. Headcount reductions at various locations are expected to total around ten employees.

Bernard Rzepka, A. Schulman COO, said: “While demand remains strong in the US, our recent acquisitions have added seven plants over the past three years. Based on our evaluation of a variety of factors including capacity utilisation, location and laboratory and manufacturing capabilities, we have decided to consolidate our North American production capacity to drive efficiencies.”