PL Developments to shutter operations Clinton, following Rich’s closure
A week after a Fountain Inn manufacturer communicated to state officials that it would be closing its doors, a Clinton-based manufacturer said it would be doing the same.
PL Developments, a manufacturer of liquid-based pharmaceutical products such as rubbing alcohol and hydrogen peroxide, told state officials Thursday that it will be closing both its manufacturing and distribution plants at 1874 S.C. Highway 72 and 28966 S.C. Highway 76 in Clinton.
The closures are expected to affect 113 employees at PL Developments, which was formerly Aaron Industries. The facility under different banners has been open in Clinton since 1977.
The closure of PL Developments comes about a week after Rich Products announced the closure of its Fountain Inn facility that produces baked and other related food products, affected 184 employees.
Both facilities are to be closed by Jan. 31, 2025.
“It’s never an easy thing to hear,” said Lynn Finley, vice-president of the Laurens County Development Corporation. “But we are here to support our companies from beginning to end, in some cases, and, of course, the employees.”
Finley said Rich’s is consolidating its Fountain Inn operation into several other production facilities it has around the country.
PL Developments, which was formed in 1988, is headquartered in Westbury, New York, and has facilities in other areas of South Carolina, New York, Florida and California.
Finley said employees from both companies will receive support from the state in the form of the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce’s Rapid Response Team. The Rapid Response Team is designed to help employees navigate the state unemployment system, find new jobs and/or find training and education options.
“That’s the stage they’re in now,” she said. “Later, SCWORKS will be brought in, and (the LCDC) will be a part of that. We’ll be organizing a hiring event. We’ve already had some of our manufacturers reach out to ask about these employees, gauging interest and finding out how they might fit into their workplace.
“Other than manufacturing, there are all kinds of different positions and roles that can transition to positions in other companies.”
The layoffs in the county are among several around the state, including Boeing in Charleston and Charter Communications in Greer that have cost more than 400 people their jobs.
Finley said she has noticed
“Our unemployment rates are still very low, but they’re creeping up in the county and in the entire state,” Finley said. “There have been few official layoffs, but with some companies, overall employment numbers have been on a downward trend.”
But there have also been positives.
Finley said Nordson Industrial Coating Systems, which announced the opening of a manufacturing center in Laurens County this past July, is on schedule to open its $30 million production facility in January. Nordson is expected to open with 125 employees at the Clinton 26 Commerce Park.
