A Hopkinsville steel tubing plant has laid off 71 workers a year-and-a-half after committing to creating more than 280 jobs and investing $102 million into re-establishing operations in the region.
Henry Jarboe is plant manager at the PTC Seamless Tube Corp. site in Christian County. He said the layoffs are part of a slowdown at the plant as the company re-bids on the installation of costly equipment. Jarboe said the low price of oil is a factor that led to the slowdown and layoffs.
Jarboe said PTC is still totally committed to the project and expects the company to hire back up to previous levels in the next year. He said the plant is still on track to be fully operational in the next 2-3 years.
PTC formerly operated a manufacturing plant in Hopkinsville. That existing facility is the one being retrofitted and expanded.
PTC is heaquartered in Wexford, Penn. and employs a total of 1,000 people across its manufacturing facilities in six states.
