Quad/Graphics Closing Its Atglen, Pennsylvania, Insert Plant, Resulting in Loss of About 150 Jobs

ATGLEN, Pa.—January 29, 2016—Quad/Graphics will be closing its 455,000-square-foot newspaper insert printing facility here by the end of February, the Philadelphia Inquirer reported. The move is expected to leave about 150 workers without jobs.

According to Quad/Graphics Spokesperson Nicole Mosca, the decision to close was motivated in part by ongoing challenges in the economy that have negatively impacted retail advertising insert volumes and overall capacity in the printing industry.

"The plant closure is a strategic business decision we’ve made to eliminate excess capacity by consolidating work into plants where we believe we can achieve the greatest manufacturing and distribution efficiencies," Mosca said. "Our goal is to create the strongest, most competitive retail platform to continue serving our clients well into the future."

The last 15 months have been particularly tough on the Atglen plant. Last March 20, employee Raymond Bermudez was crushed to death by a load of paper inside of a clogged baler. Bermudez, 44, was fatally struck after he cleared the clog, which triggered a mound of incoming paper to fall atop him. He was taken to a local hospital in cardiac arrest and was later pronounced dead.

In November of 2014, a fire struck the facility on the 4000 block of Lower Valley Road. Employees were evacuated and a local fire department quickly extinguished the flames. There were no injuries.

The Atlgen decision marks the second Quad/Graphics closure in Pennsylvania during the last three months. Last November, the company announced that its East Greenville facility was shuttering at the end of the year, a move that left 400 out of work.