The plant, located in the town on the banks of the St. Clair River across from Michigan in southwestern Ontario, will close its doors at the end of December.
In a press release, Plant Manager Brian Perry said the switch from the engineered polyurethane products that the plant specialized in, to lower cost alternatives, hurt sales significantly.
“Certainly, the appreciated Canadian dollar and increased operational costs have also contributed to our inability to compete in the US market,” he said. Many of Woodbridge's impact-resisting foam products are used in the car industry that's centered in Detroit.
Woodbridge, which has its corporate headquarters on Sherwoodtowne Blvd. in the city centre, has a total of 64 facilities in 20 countries. Woodbridge began producing polyurethane foam products in the early 1960s, making it one of the first companies to provide moulded foam cushioning to the automotive industry.
Its website says it is a leader in automotive urethane technologies and a specialist in just-in-time assembly and sequencing systems, with facilities in North and South America, Europe, Australia and Asia.
