Buckhorn plant closing in Bluffton, about 120 losing jobs

Buckhorn, a Myers Industries Inc. company, announced March 6 that it will close its Wells County plant at 785 Decker Drive.

Based in Milford, Ohio, Buckhorn manufactures reusable packaging and material handling products. It has been an employer in Bluffton for more than 20 years, said Bluffton Mayor Ted Ellis.

He met Monday afternoon with Buckhorn’s plant manager, Rick Singer, and a human resources official, who informed him about the closure and notified employees later that day.

Ellis said Buckhorn officials didn’t provide details as to why the plant was closing, but they “indicated it was for business reasons.”

WANE TV reported that Buckhorn plans to consolidate its operations in its manufacturing facility, based in Springfield, Mo. While Ellis was unable to confirm a plan to consolidate, he said that it would be a “natural step” and said that Buckhorn would “probably make [employees] offers [to move].” He said he does not have an exact headcount for how many workers the company currently employees.

“Their abatement ran out, so the most current information on a public record that I have is from 2015. That shows 120,” he said.

Buckhorn did not share a timetable for the plant’s closure. As of Greater Fort Wayne Business Weekly’s deadline, the company hadn’t filed a WARN notice to notify Ellis or the state of the decision. Federal law requires employers planning mass layoffs to give local and state officials at least 60 days’ notice, so the mayor believes the closing is more than two months away.