A plant that makes car wash sponges in Columbia will shutdown later this year. The company Mapa Spontex notified the state this week it will lay off 132 employees.
The layoffs begin in March. Employees like Stephanie Lang will be phased out through the summer as production shuts down. Lang relocated to Columbia from Mississippi last year to take a job with Spontex as HR director.
“Thank goodness I did not buy a house, but I was very much happy here. You know, I think Columbia is a good place to raise a family, so we were hoping we could be here long term.”
Lang says she will likely return to Mississippi along with her children. She says many of the plant’s employees have been with the company for years and could have a tough time finding work.
The manufacturing facility in Columbia is the only U.S. plant for Mapa Spontex, which is now headquartered in France.
Employees found out two weeks ago the plant was going to be shut down. Lang says the announcement came by surprise.
“Obviously, I’m sad I will be losing my job, But I’m trying to stay as positive as I can to help the employees through this as well.”
Lang says she’s connecting employees with the state-run career center in Columbia. It’s been a busy place since Thanksgiving, when nearly 2,000 workers were laid off from the GM plant in nearby Spring Hill.
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