DuPont Pioneer to close US's Mount Pleasant plant

Date:05-19-2014

DuPont Pioneer plans to close a seed production plant in Mount Pleasant, US.

The company said closing the plant will enable it to better use modern capacity that has been added in recent years and is better located near areas with more seed acres.

Pioneer said the workforce and production cuts are part of an ongoing review that will "align talent and technology with the highest potential initiatives." Overall, the changes will result in a "slight level of employee reductions."

Jane Slusark, a Pioneer spokeswoman, said the review will "further position the business for growth" and target investment in programs that bring more innovation and value to farmers.

Pioneer says it has doubled sales from 2008-13. The company says it has invested about $110 million in recent years in its research centers in Johnston.

Among the most recent projects, Pioneer last year received $3.6 million in state tax credits for a $50 million expansion at its headquarters that's expected to create 105 jobs.

Slusark said the company is more than meeting its job-creation pledges to the state for projects receiving incentives.