Layoffs announced at auto care products plant in Vandalia

The company’s WARN notice to Ohio government says only that distribution workers will be laid off from the 2800 Concorde Drive facility while auto products manufacturing workers will remain. The notice offers no numbers of affected employees.

The change is permanent, Energizer said.

The notice invites the state to request a list of affected workers. It wasn’t immediately clear whether the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services will do that.

A message was sent to Energizer Holding representatives Wednesday.

The notice isn’t a surprise. In response to questions from this news outlet last month, the company acknowledged that some Dayton-area workers will lose their jobs as a distribution operation is moved from the current location near Dayton International Airport to Monroe.

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“These notices are solely related to the move of such activities to Monroe,” said Nikki Eaves, a Energizer Holdings spokeswoman. “Having one point of distribution for all U.S. auto care products will allow us to better meet our customers’ expectations.”

Last January, Energizer Holdings, a St. Louis-based maker of batteries and portable lighting products, said it had completed its $938.7 million acquisition of Spectrum Brands Holdings’ global auto care business, which includes the Armor All, STP and A/C Pro brands.

The building at 2800 Concorde Drive, near Dayton International Airport, was originally built for Spectrum Brands.

One local employee said she received the notice today that her last day will be at the end of February, and that the company will give employees four weeks of pay after the layoffs.

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The local manufacturing plant will remain open, and additional production lines will be moved into the facility next year, Eaves said.

It is not clear how many workers are affected. However, Eaves said workers have been made aware of other open positions at the local plant. Also, she said there will be job opportunities through the third-party logistics provider at the Monroe site.

Many of the workers previously worked for Spectrum Brands, which sold its auto care business, including Armor All, A/C Pro, Tuff Stuff and STP products, in late 2018 to Energizer Holdings.