SI trims factory output

SI Group, the Niskayuna, N.Y.-based maker of chemicals and resins, says it has been shutting down its Rotterdam Junction factory five to six days a month. The work stoppages are in response to the global recession, which has reduced the need for the company’s products, used in such things as automobile tires, fuel additives, plastics and construction materials. The company employs about 200 people at the factory and another 200 at its headquarters in Niskayuna, which also is where the company does its research and development (R&D) work. The company, which is still family-owned, has 2,200 employees in 20 locations in 13 countries and has had more than US$1 billion in annual sales in recent years. SI Group Spokeswoman Juliana Lam said the recession is also affecting factories in other locations, but she did not give specifics for those plants or the company’s overall sales figures. (August 12, 2009)