Alcoa to idle Texarkana plant

Alcoa announced today it will idle its aluminum rolling mill in Texarkana and lay off 250 employees because of reduced demand for its products. The layoffs, which affect all salaried and hourly workers at the plant, will be done by September. The shutdown is indefinite and depends on when orders increase, the company said in a statement. The Texarkana plant makes aluminum sheet and coil products for such things as automobiles, truck trailers, buildings and construction. Other Alcoa plants will handle orders while the Texarkana plant is idled, the company said. "The idling is a direct result of the current economic environment and ongoing credit crisis, which has significantly reduced the demand for our product," Alcoa Vice President Mike Wallis said. Resumption of production at the plant "will be dependent upon an improvement in these market conditions," he said. Employees were told of the shutdown during a meeting today at the plant.