s major PepsiCo has halted bottling operations at its Collierville beverage plant in Tennessee, citing a decline in demand, increased cost pressure and excess capacity.Production operations will now be moved to other sites within the company's network.
The move follows the closure of PepsiCo's other facilities at Abilene, Texas; Dayton, Ohio; Roanoke, Virginia; and Salem, Oregon this year.
PepsiCo would lay off around 55 people working at the Collierville plant, while the remaining will be retained to continue distribution and warehouse operations there.
A company spokeswoman Gina Anderson said, "We plan to close down production operations at our Collierville beverage facility effective immediately. Associated work will move to other facilities within our system.
"This difficult decision was made with careful consideration and we're committed to providing support to affected employees by offering outplacement services. A majority of employees will remain at the Collierville facility."
