New director wants to move on marketing Wellman plant

DARLINGTON — Darlington County and state economic development officials met with officials of Wellman Inc. last Friday to discuss the closing of Wellman’s Palmetto Plant in Darlington and for possible future uses of the plant.

Robert Long, the new executive director of the Darlington County Economic Development Partnership, said he wants to begin marketing the Darlington plant to potential new employers as soon as possible.

Long said Wellman representatives told state and local officials at Friday’s meeting the plant will close on Nov. 18. The closing will affect about 550 jobs, company officials said. Long said Monday the company indicated to county and state officials at Friday’s meeting that about 512 of those are Wellman employee positions. The rest are contract positions, he said.
Wellman also announced plans to close its Johnsonville plant in Florence County, affecting another 170 jobs.

“First and foremost, our thoughts and concerns go out to the Wellman employees,” Long said. “This is a difficult situation for them and their families. We want to work with Wellman and state agencies to minimize the impact where possible.”

Long said he has not yet had a chance to put a dollars and cents figure on the potential economic impact of the closing. “But obviously, it is one of our largest employers,” he said.
Long said Monday that some other industries, some in the area and some from elsewhere, have already begun inquiring about possibly hiring some of the Wellman workers who will be displaced by the Darlington plant closing.

He said the jobs that will be eliminated by the closing are jobs that require skilled workers who will be assets to any industries they go to work for.

He said Wellman officials and state and county officials are working to assist workers at the plant in finding new employment. “They (Wellman) are looking out for the employees. Wellman is trying very hard to find new employment opportunities for these workers,” Long said.

Friday’s meeting with Wellman representatives included representatives of the Darlington County Partnership, the S.C. Department of Commerce — Rapid Response and the S.C. Employment Security Commission.

The DCEDP plans to work with the Florence County Economic Development Partnership, the Northeast Strategic Alliance, Florence-Dar-lington Technical College and the Southeastern Institute of Manufacturing and Technology to develop new business and industry in the region and to put the skills of displaced Wellman workers to use.

The S.C. Employment Security Commission’s One Stop centers will offer job search services to employees to include sharpening skills in resume writing and interviewing, Long said
He said the average age of employees at the Darlington plant is 49 with the average length of employment 17.5 years. Many of the employees, he said, have not had to conduct a job search in years. “Obviously, if you haven’t written a resume in over 20 years or had a job interview in 20 years, you might need to work on those skills,” he said.

Long said his office is also working on plans with the Pee Dee Work-force Investment Board to organize a job fair for Wellman workers affected by the closure.

Long, who officially began his duties as executive director of the partnership on Sept. 18, said he has experience at dealing with large plant closings from his previous job, including one that involved the loss of about 1,800 jobs.

He said that despite the bad news of a plant closing, having a large manufacturing facility to market can offer some long-term opportunities to the county.

And, he said he wants to talk with the first lien holders who will take over ownership of the Darlington plant when Wellman comes out of bankruptcy, which he said will happen on Dec. 7. “We want to start marketing that plant now, and not wait until Dec. 7 to start marketing it,” Long said. “As investors, their goal is to sell it.”

He said he hopes the plant and its equipment can be sold together.

Wellman announced on Feb. 22 that it and certain of its subsidiaries filed voluntary petitions under Chapter 11 of the U.S. Bankruptcy Code for the Southern District of New York, according to a company press release.

Filing under Chapter 11 frees a company from the threat of creditors’ lawsuits while it reorganizes its finances. The debtor’s reorganization plan must be accepted by a majority of its creditors. Unless the court rules otherwise, the debtor remains in control of the business and its assets.

In September of 2006, Wellman said it would end its fiber operations in Johnsonville and consolidate the fiber operations at the Palmetto Plant in Darlington.

Wellman manufactures and markets high-quality polyester products, including Perma-Clear brand PET (polyethylene terephthalate) packaging resins and Fortrel brand polyester fibers.