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April 1, 2016

Restructuring leads to job losses at Rockland FMC plant

One of the largest employers in Knox County and Rockland’s largest property taxpayers, the Philadelphia-based chemical manufacturing company FMC, has announced that it will be cutting its workforce at its plant on the Rockland waterfront.

In a statement issued by the company on Wednesday announcing the loss of jobs, the company said that it was making the cuts in order to stay globally competitive following an “organizational restructuring process” at the plant, according to the Bangor Daily News.

“As any business does, FMC continually evaluates its business and product strategies to ensure it stays competitive and flexible to adapt to evolving market conditions,” the plant manager said in the statement. “We want to be sure we always remain a viable, sustainable and important member of our communities.

FMC’s Rockland plant manufactures carrageenan, a food additive extracted from seaweed that is used as a thickening agent and stabilizer in products including whipped cream and toothpaste.

An exact headcount of how many employees would be without work wasn’t provided in Wednesday’s release, and calls to FMC’s corporate public relations officers by the BDN have yet to be returned. In 2014 the company employed 130.

(Update: FMC marketing communications manager Lindsay Torriero has told the BDN that 13 jobs were eliminated from the plant through a combination of lay-offs and the elimination of unfilled positions — three full-time employees and one part-time employee lost their job.)

 

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