Spandex Plant Closing at Bushy Park

Asahi Kasei announced Friday that it will be discontinuing its Asahi Kasei Spandex America subsidiary, impacting 133 employees at its Bushy Park plant as the company focuses on its foreign facilities.

The manufacturer cited a tough market for the Dorlastan spandex product manufactured at the site.

"The global spandex market has been extremely challenging in recent years, with oversupply putting downward pressure on sales prices even as feedstock costs remain persistently high," the company stated in a release. "Particularly in the US, where market demand has been weak ever since the global financial crisis of 2008, satisfactory business performance has been difficult to achieve."

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The plant is expected to close in October. "The company will be in a stronger position to increase earnings in its spandex business by enhancing production capabilities at the remaining global sites while focusing on innovative product development and more efficient sales," the company stated in the release.