Economic impacts of the coronavirus pandemic have delayed the opening of the Novelis plant in Guthrie and approximately 30 employees already on site are being furloughed.
Plant manager Paul Banks sent an email to Todd County Judge-Executive Todd Mansfield this week saying that, “due to an anticipated lower demand from the automotive industry resulting from the coronavirus pandemic, Novelis will delay the opening of our Guthrie facility.”
The aluminum facility supplies the automotive industry, which has been hit hard by shutdowns.
Banks assures they are only delaying the opening of the massive plant, saying he’s hopeful it can open for production in six months and possibly sooner. It will be dependent on how quickly customers of Novelis can ramp up production.
Banks says 30 of the 82 Novelis employees already on site will be furloughed this month and will continue to be paid equivalent to a 40-hour week through a combination of unemployment benefits, federal unemployment related to the CARES Act and supplemental payments from Novelis.
He says they will delay the hiring of additional employees during this pause.