Colgate Palmolive To Close Kansas Plant

Colgate Palmolive To Close Kansas Plant

Colgate Palmolive Co. is closing a historic soap-making plant in Kansas City, KS, that currently employs around 250 people. The New York-based company said in a statement it is outsourcing the production of bar soap to "an established U.S. third party starting in third quarter 2005." The company said it will close the plant in late 2006 when all production had been switched to the new provider.

Colgate said the move is part of a four-year restructuring announced in December. With the personal products industry struggling with higher costs, the company said it would cut its worldwide work force by about 12 percent, or 4,400 jobs, and close a third of its factories during the four-year period.