Jabil Circuits (JBL)

[EZ2]

Jabil to Close Down Its Idaho Plant

MERIDIAN, Idaho, Sep 10, 2002 (AP Online via COMTEX) -- Jabil Circuit Inc. will lay off 500 workers by the end of the year and close its southwestern Idaho manufacturing plant, company officials confirmed on Tuesday.

A company spokeswoman said demand for Jabil's telecommunications and networking products has dwindled. Jabil, which employs 17,000 worldwide, targeted the Meridian plant for closure because of performance issues.

"The three things that we considered were its historical performance, its manufacturing capabilities and its organizational depth," Lisa Allison said from the company's headquarters in St. Petersburg, Fla.

The Meridian plant makes printed circuit boards for telecommunications products.

Most of the jobs affected are in manufacturing, Allison said, though some engineering and management jobs also will be eliminated.

The news was another blow to Idaho's economy. For several years, the state's rural areas have suffered increasing unemployment amid the national recession.

Even in Ada County, where Meridian has been one of Idaho's fastest-growing cities, joblessness has been steadily increasing. Ada County lost 1,000 jobs over the past year.