From staff reports First there was the announcement by Australian-based Woodside Energy it had canceled plans for a major hydrogen energy plant at Ardmore. Then last week AAF Flanders announced it is closing its Ardmore operations; American Air Filter is a subsidiary of the Daikin Group. At least 120 employees will be affected at the plant where air filtration products have been manufactured. The shutdown will be completed by December.
In addition, Ardmore also faces the looming closure of the Michelin tire plant, which has been in operation since 1950.
Ardmore Development Authority leaders are racing to find new businesses to fill the number of lost jobs.
The tire plant in Ardmore is being shuttered because of decreased ability to deliver tires at competitive costs. The closure will affect nearly 1,400 people, at a minimum.
The company said it plans to completely discontinue tire production in Ardmore by the end of 2025.
However, rubber-mixing operations, where approximately 127 people are employed, are expected to continue for the foreseeable future, Michelin spokesman Eric Bruner indicated. Michelin’s rubber-mixing operations at the Ardmore plant supply other factories in North America.
The French manufacturer said tire production will gradually shift to Michelin’s other passenger-tire plants in North America.