WireCo WorldGroup (“WireCo”) announced today that it is selling its steel wire rope manufacturing facility in St. Joseph, Missouri to Hillyard Industries, a manufacturer and distributor of cleaning and hygiene products.  WireCo will maintain production at the highest quality levels through the final closure of the manufacturing facility, which will occur over the next several months.  Through WireCo’s strong cross-facility support, production of WireCo’s steel wire rope products will continue to meet the requirements of its customers during the phased shutdown period. 

WireCo will provide transition assistance to the 49 employees affected by this decision.  “It is difficult to close any manufacturing plant, because of the impact to good people, their families and the community. The harsh reality is the global oil, gas, and crane rope markets are facing economic challenges, and every company in these industries is being affected,” said Chris Ayers, WireCo’s President and CEO.  “This sale and consolidation of our production facilities enable us to continue to service our customers at the highest quality level despite an increasingly challenging market for WireCo and our customers. We continue to focus on developing innovative products and building upon the strong WireCo brands.”

“WireCo is proud of its long history at this site, and much of our growth and success is a result of loyal, committed service from our St. Joseph employees,” Ayers added. “We wish to thank all those employees for their contribution to WireCo and we will do our best to ensure our employees are rewarded for their continuing contribution during the phased closure of the site.”

WireCo will continue to operate its St. Joseph Fabricated Products facility at the existing site. Those operations will not be affected by the sale of the wire rope manufacturing facility.