BUCYRUS—Valiant efforts to save the Bucyrus GE Lighting Plant, a Savant Company, went dim earlier today when employees were informed of plans to cease operations.

In an email, Ben Sabol, GE-Savant’s director of communications, said the company informed employees Wednesday that “it is restructuring to reduce organizational complexity and refocus on its long-term portfolio and market demand.”

As part of that plan, the company intends to close two Ohio plants, in Bucyrus and Logan.

For 70 years, the Bucyrus Plant has provided good wages and solid job opportunities for Bucyrus. At peak, the plant provided approximately 300 jobs. One hundred seventy-five people are currently employed at the Bucyrus plant.

While Union officials can still request decision bargaining, Sabol had this comment:

“Once that concludes, if the decision by the business is to proceed, operations will cease, and plants will close on or around Sept. 30,” 

Sabol went on to explain the company’s decision in his email: 

“These plants manufacture linear fluorescent lamps that continue to experience a year after year double-digit decline in demand over the last five years across the lighting industry,” Sabol said.

“The other technology manufactured, energy-efficient halogen, has already been regulated off the market by California and Nevada, and proposed DOE federal policy will soon end manufacture and sales of those products across the country.”

In addition to the plant closings, “certain other roles … were eliminated or consolidated in the US, Canada, and China,” he said.

Bucyrus Mayor Jeff Reser, a champion to save the plant, expressed his disappointment in a news release minutes ago:

“We were informed today that the Bucyrus General Electric Plant will be closing after a long history of manufacturing light bulbs in our city. This is sad news for the workers and families who will be affected as well as our entire community. General Electric has been an integral part of the fabric of life for several generations in Bucyrus and has been a consistent source of employment for thousands of workers and their families. We pledge our support in helping local agencies place the GE workers into new careers in the Bucyrus area.”

Crawford County Now will continue to follow this developing story.