About 175 Mitsubishi employees say their goodbyes to friends and colleague Tuesday, May 31, 2016, as they leave the Mitsubishi plant for the final time. Mitsubishi announced last July that it would close and sell its central Illinois plant. Most of the employees stopped working in December when the plant produced its last vehicle. The Japanese automaker said it decided to close the plant because of diminishing sales. (Lori Ann Cook-Neisler/The Pantagraph via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
The Associated Press
NORMAL, Ill. (AP) - The last of the 1,200 employees who worked at the Mitsubishi Motors plant in Normal have finished their shifts.
Mitsubishi announced last July that it would close and sell its central Illinois plant. Most of the employees stopped working in December when the plant produced its last vehicle.
The (Bloomington) Pantagraph reports (http://bit.ly/25yiU1Q ) the last 170 employees signed final paperwork Tuesday, the day before new owner Maynards Industries and Industrial Assets Corp. takes over the facility Wednesday. The Michigan-based company specializes in industrial asset auctions, appraisals and liquidation.
The Japanese automaker said it decided to close the plant because of diminishing sales. Production at the plant fell to 64,000 vehicles from more than 200,000 in 2002. The facility was one of the largest employers in the Bloomington-Normal area.
___
Information from: The Pantagraph, http://www.pantagraph.com
About 175 Mitsubishi employees say their goodbyes to friends and colleague Tuesday, May 31, 2016, as they leave the Mitsubishi plant for the final time. Mitsubishi announced last July that it would close and sell its central Illinois plant. Most of the employees stopped working in December when the plant produced its last vehicle. The Japanese automaker said it decided to close the plant because of diminishing sales. (Lori Ann Cook-Neisler/The Pantagraph via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
The Associated Press
About 175 Mitsubishi employees say their goodbyes to friends and colleague Tuesday, May 31, 2016, as they leave the Mitsubishi plant for the final time. Mitsubishi announced last July that it would close and sell its central Illinois plant. Most of the employees stopped working in December when the plant produced its last vehicle. The Japanese automaker said it decided to close the plant because of diminishing sales. (Lori Ann Cook-Neisler/The Pantagraph via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
The Associated Press
Rod DeVary, UAW Local 2488 president, and Dan Irvin, general manager of corporate communications and public relations, talk about the future of the employees, the Mitsubishi plant and their personal futures as they leave the Mitsubishi plant for the final time on Tuesday, May 31, 2016. Mitsubishi announced last July that it would close and sell its central Illinois plant. Most of the employees stopped working in December when the plant produced its last vehicle. The Japanese automaker said it decided to close the plant because of diminishing sales. (Lori Ann Cook-Neisler/The Pantagraph via AP) MANDATORY CREDIT
The Associated Press