Quad/Graphics to Close Atglen Plant, 150 Employees to Lose Jobs

The printed news business has claimed another victim. Last week, Quad/Graphics announced that it will close its 455,000 sq. ft. newspaper insert printing facility in Atglen, Pa., by the end of this month. As a result of this decision, an estimated 150 employees will lose their jobs.

In a letter to Chester County officials, obtained by the Daily Local News, Pat Henderson, director of government affairs for Quad/Graphics, wrote:

I wish that I was writing to you with better news. This morning we met with our employees in Atglen to inform them of the company’s decision to close the facility. This plant is part of our retail insert platform, which means it focuses on advertisements that are placed inside newspapers. As the newspaper industry continues to be challenged, so too is the volume of advertising that accompan[ies] the newspaper itself. [...] We will begin stepping down production immediately with the last day of production likely to be Feb. 27. I wanted to make sure that you had a heads up about something that impacts the economic development of your community.

This isn’t the first time the Atglen plant has made headlines. Just last March, a 44-year-old employee was crushed to death by a load of paper circulars while attempting to clear a clog in a book baler. According to the Daily Local News, the victim was inside the machine when the clog cleared, causing the circulars to fall on him. He was transported to Brandywine Hospital, while in cardiac arrest, where he was later pronounced dead.

In November, Quad/Graphics closed its East Greenville, Pa., facility—a move that resulted in 422 layoffs.