A trio of manufacturing and distribution companies are trimming operations in North Orange County, with about 200 workers standing to lose their jobs.
Two of the companies are shuttering their local plants and leaving OC, while a third is reducing its local staff, according to recent filings with the California Employment Development Department.
The companies are:
Portage, Mich.-based Titan Plastics Group Inc., a custom plastic injection molder. It cut 80 workers in a closure of its Brea plant earlier this year.
Akzo Nobel Coatings Inc., part of the Netherlands’ Akzo Nobel NV, a maker of paints, coatings, chemicals and healthcare products. It is closing its Orange plant and laying off 56 people.
Nestl & #233; Waters North America Inc., a bottled water distributor that’s part of Switzerland’s Nestl & #233; SA. It’s cut about 55 workers from its ranks of 130 in Brea. The distribution facility remains open.
Local manufacturers have complained for years about the high cost of doing business in California, including high rates for workers’ compensation insurance and steep power rates. But only a few have actually moved to lower-cost states such as Nevada and Arizona.
Titan and Nestl & #233; Waters didn’t cite the costs of doing business in OC for their layoffs.
Titan shuttered its Brea plant after the operation lost its largest customer: Honeywell International Inc.
For more on this story, see the March 20 edition of the Business Journal.
