Nearly 300 to lose jobs with closing of Gainesville plant

NORTHVILLE, Mich. - Hayes Lemmerz International Inc., which makes aluminum and steel wheels for cars and trucks, said Monday it will close its Gainesville plant by the end of the year.

Hayes said worldwide "overcapacity" in the light vehicle aluminum wheel market and aluminum wheel imports caused the company to close the facility.

The facility, which began wheel production in July 1994, employs about 300 people.

"The phase-out is a difficult but necessary step in our overall plan to provide our customers the highest quality products at competitive prices and to improve profitability," Chief Executive Curtis Clawson said. "I would like to express my appreciation to our associates in Gainesville. We will work with those affected by this decision to help them through the transition."

Employees were advised of the closure Monday during a meeting at the plant.

Some of the production at the Gainesville facility will be moved to Hayes Lemmerz' aluminum wheel facility in Mexico.

Hayes Lemmerz International Inc. has 24 facilities and more than 7,000 employees worldwide.

(AccessNorthGa.com's Ken Stanford contributed to this report).