By John Reid Blackwell
Drug maker Merck & Co. will keep its Elkton plant open.
The New Jersey-based company said this week that it will close or sell five of its 31 plants as it restructures. The Rockingham County plant, which employs about 800 Virginians, will see no immediate impact on jobs, its human resources director said.
On Monday, Merck said it would reduce operations at other sites, laying off 7,000 people in three years.
The company said Wednesday that it will shut down some operations in Japan and eliminate jobs in England and New Jersey. Workers at plants in Albany, Ga., and Riverside, Pa., were notified that those facilities will be closed or sold. In addition, 235 jobs will be cut at Merck Frosst Canada.
The Virginia plant produces pharmaceuticals and chemical intermediates. In February, Merck announced a $40 million expansion of the plant to produce a vaccine the company is developing. That expansion is under way, and the company expects the new operation to begin in 2007, said Frank Burks, human resources director at the plant.
Although Merck’s Web site lists a Glen Allen site, the company has provided no information about it. Phone numbers listed for that office have been disconnected.
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