North Korea agrees
to shut down reactor
NEWS Page 2A
Columbia, Missouri
TUESDAY, February 13, 2007
22 Pages — 50 cents
Plug in to your
sweetie’s heart
BUSINESS Page 5B
San Diego fires
Schottenheimer
SPORTS Page 1B
Local winner
Columbia native Matt Taylor
takes home a Grammy award.
NEWS Page 12A
By KEVIN COLEMAN
of the Tribune’s staff
Bankrupt automotive parts manu-
facturer Collins & Aikman plans to
close its Columbia plant and lay off
its 250 employees as early as next
month unless someone steps in to
buy it.
The Southfield, Mich.-based com-
pany last month filed 60-day notice
under the federal Worker Adjust-
ment and Retraining Notification, or
WARN, Act to close March 3, compa-
ny spokesman David Youngman said
yesterday.
Collins & Aikman has been operat-
ing under bankruptcy protection
since May 2005 and is trying to sell
the company or its business units,
including the Columbia plant, Young-
man said. The Columbia plant is one
11 of around the country that could
close.
“The company continues to have
discussions with a number of inter-
ested parties for portions of its busi-
ness and is hopeful to complete a
sales transaction,” Youngman said.
“We are unable to provide any specif-
ic information at this time.”
The Columbia plant at 4000 Waco
Road makes and assembles instru-
ment panels for shipment to nearby
automobile manufacturing plants.
Youngman said the looming closure
could be averted if a buyer steps for-
ward or if customers need the plant’s
product beyond the scheduled clos-
ing date.
But Youngman, in an interview
several weeks ago, said the Columbia
plant could be vulnerable because of
“continued deterioration” in the
instrument panel sector.
David Meyer, marketing director
for Regional Economic Development
Inc., said officials from Collins &
Aikman contacted REDI soon after
the company filed its WARN notice
with the state Department of Eco-
nomic Development Division of
Workforce Development.
“We’ve been talking to them, and
there is a good probability that the
plant could go dark,” Meyer said.
“