SI Group is ending its production of ibuprofen at its Orangeburg site.
The change will mean the loss of 74 jobs, according to the S.C. Department of Employment and Workforce Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification report issued June 27.
“We continuously evaluate our manufacturing footprint and will entertain all opportunities which provide the best possible long-term strategic options for our business,” SI Group Senior Manager of Brand and Communications Challen DeMartino said.
“We must respond to the changing market dynamics and alter our global footprint as needed to ensure the sustainability of our business,” DeMartino said. “In this case, SI Group is not able to competitively supply Ibuprofen to the global market due to our older, more expensive technology.”
The Orangeburg site began making the pain reliever in 1977. It was once considered the largest manufacturer of ibuprofen in the world.
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DeMartino said the SI Group is working with the local labor union to provide support to employees who will be affected.
“Additionally, local HR and leadership teams are providing support to impacted individuals through job placement services, statutory pay and benefits continuance, and additional company severance programs,” DeMartino said.
The company will continue to manufacture propofol, antioxidants and other products at the Orangeburg plant.
The company will continue to employ 110 at the Orangeburg site, according to DeMartino.
The 300-acre Cannon Bridge Road site was initially home to The Wannamaker Chemical Company, named after founder Elliott Wannamaker in the 1930s.
In 1953, Ethyl Fuel Corp. purchased the facility.
In 1994, the company spun off its chemical business to create an independent, publicly traded company named Albemarle Corp.
In 2014, Albemarle sold its Orangeburg plant to the SI Group.
SI Group’s headquarters are in The Woodlands, Texas. The company has 20 facilities on three continents, serving customers in 80 countries with approximately 2,000 employees worldwide, according to its website.
The company has seven manufacturing plants in North America.
Contact the writer: gzaleski@timesanddemocrat.com or 803-533-5551. Check out Zaleski on Twitter at @ZaleskiTD.
