Energizer Holdings, 180 Bartram Parkway, Franklin, announced the company will be moving its operations to a North Carolina facility.
Daily Journal file photo
Energizer Holdings announced a permanent closure to their Franklin packaging line, but a local official said another company is set to take over the space.
The St. Louis-based battery and portable lighting production company sent a closure notice to the director of the Bureau of Workforce Training at the Indiana Department of Workforce Development on Jan. 22 regarding their 180 Bartram Parkway location.
The closure is expected to be permanent and all 64 employees currently working at the plant will be impacted, according to the notice.
“All affected employees have been notified of the plant closure and that their eventual separation from employment will be permanent,” the notice said. “Affected employees will receive individual written notices that comply with the Work Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (‘WARN Act’) at least 60 days before they are separated.”
Separations will begin on April 1 and the plant will cease operations by the end of that month, according to the notice.
“In October 2023, we informed colleagues at our Franklin, Indiana, facility that we would cease packaging operations at that location in the first half of 2024,” an Energizer Holdings spokesperson said in a statement to the Daily Journal. “On January 22, we issued a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice to inform colleagues we would begin the closure process on April 1. Franklin will continue to serve as the central distribution center for our U.S. battery and lights business.
“As part of the original announcement in October, we shared information on severance and job placement assistance. Since that time, we have been focused on ensuring our colleagues have the resources they need,” the statement said.
Franklin Mayor Steve Barnett said that although Energizer Holdings will be relocating their line, DHL and Amazon will continue operating out of the building. He was notified that DHL expects to expand as Energizer’s operations phase out.
DHL will also handle the distribution of Energizer products from that site, he said.
“Energizer’s packaging department is going to North Carolina, which is what is affecting the 64 employees,” Barnett said. “They will be shipping their batteries here to Franklin and DHL will haul them out of here. When this is all said and done, there is going to be one Energizer employee still on the premises.”
Affected employees would have the opportunity to apply to DHL. Energizer is also working with WorkForce One for employee placement assistance, he said.
A request for comment to DHL wasn’t returned by press time.
Barnett said taxes are still being paid on the building and city officials plan to terminate applicable tax abatements. The Franklin City Council unanimously approved the tax abatements for Energizer Manufacturing, Inc., and building owner Sunbeam Development, back in November 2019, which included a $58.5 million tax break on personal property and a $4.1 million tax break on real property for Energizer.
The company also has incentives from the Indiana Economic Development Corporation. The IEDC transparency portal shows that Energizer has claimed $85,196 in tax credits. The credits are performance-based, meaning that a company can claim the credit only after it has created jobs.
Energizer has also recently altered their operations nationwide. Their Fennimore, Wisconsin facility was recently notified that 172 jobs would be eliminated at that location.
The Indianapolis Business Journal contributed to this report.
