Kraft Foods to close Churny
About 120 workers at the Churny cheese plant in Waupaca will lose their jobs next year.
Kraft Foods announced Tuesday that it will close the facility in the second quarter of 2013 as part of a cost-cutting move.
Production will be transferred to the Kraft plant in Wausau, where about 200 people are employed.
The 84,000 square-foot plant, located at 705 W. Fulton St., makes a variety of specialty spreads and cheeses including the Athenos, Kraft and Hoffman’s brands.
"After careful analysis and review, we identified some opportunities to combine production, gain efficiencies and reduce expenses in our cheese and dairy network," said Jim Durkin, vice president of operations for Kraft’s cheese and dairy unit. "Combining Waupaca volume with our Kraft Wausau plant and external manufacturers will significantly lower our overhead costs and create more scale across our manufacturing network.
The company plans to sell the property once production has ended. Kraft acquired the plant in 1987.
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21 Comments for "Kraft Foods to close Churny"
JustBecause Jun 13, 2012 10:22 AM
WHAT??????? Churny is not UNION, it is an at will employer. Kraft would have has a much more difficult time closing a union plant. It scares me that you are allowed to vote. :(
livinghealthy Jun 13, 2012 1:42 PM
Nice try connecting two totally unrelated things...or where you suggesting that the State of Wisconsin give a financial bailout to Kraft Foods in order to keep the plant in production?
You should have bought more cheese.
DeathSquad Jun 13, 2012 2:00 PM
Even if school districts did give raises, this is today's news. It's not like anyone knew this was coming except for the powers that be at Kraft. Besides if the funds are there to give raises, so be it. That's like saying foundry workers shouldn't get raises because their fellow Waupaca citizens are losing their jobs.
independenthinker Jun 13, 2012 3:53 PM
:D :D :D
Not once did I say that Kraft had union employees ::) ::) ::) ::)
My point was..communities are suffering..just like these employees will from losing their jobs. YET...public unions just wasted money on a recall...because they want more and more and more.
They should be thankful they have a job..with awesome hours & awesome benefits. But they weren't thankful..they forced this recall just to demand more money. So yes..I am making a connection. A connection that union employees should be THANKFUL for their jobs!!!!!!!!!!!!!
LOL scares you because I can vote :D :D :D
JustBecause Jun 13, 2012 4:33 PM
Terrifies me! ;D
Scott Walker just counted this as 120 jobs created in Wausau, a plant increase of 33%!! The Reform(ulation)s are Working!!!!!!!
livinghealthy Jun 13, 2012 4:46 PM
Evenpinheads havapoint Jun 13, 2012 5:25 PM
You can call collective bargaining many things, but you can't call it a "right".
If it were a "right" it would be in the constitution - like the "right" to recall the governor (Article XIII, Section 12).
lastpercentile Jun 13, 2012 6:14 PM
If this is at all related to the recall election (which I don't think it is, but apparently JustBecause needed to let off some steam), it should be pushed right in Scott Walker's face. Will he show up here to be on the news because he wants to help Kraft keep these jobs in Waupaca? No. Will he show up in Wausau to be on TV because they will create 20 jobs by putting 120 out of work? Probably would--and skew the statistics so it looks like he created 200 jobs.
Invite your precious governor to Waupaca to see what he can do to keep jobs here. Then we'll see what it's all about.
katylady Jun 13, 2012 6:35 PM
Short of the CCC, nobody "creates jobs".
Employers can find ways to keep their people employed - if that's something they want to accomplish. Budweiser stayed in business for 14 years during the depression - NOT brewing beer.
The fact is, most employers are not in the business of "creating jobs"; most are in the business of pleasing their stockholders. And the fastest/easiest way to please stockholders is to lay off 10% of the workforce and sell a building. Fact.
lastpercentile Jun 13, 2012 6:59 PM
Short of the CCC, nobody "creates jobs".
Employers can find ways to keep their people employed - if that's something they want to accomplish. Budweiser stayed in business for 14 years during the depression - NOT brewing beer.
The fact is, most employers are not in the business of "creating jobs"; most are in the business of pleasing their stockholders. And the fastest/easiest way to please stockholders is to lay off 10% of the workforce and sell a building. Fact.[/quote]
Thank you. Aside from maybe infrastructure renewal I've never understood peoples' belief that government creates jobs in the private sector.
DeathSquad Jun 14, 2012 8:43 AM
JustBecause Jun 14, 2012 8:47 AM
JustBecause Jun 14, 2012 9:00 AM
If you want to blame Scott Walker for kraft selling their pizza division to nestle you are making yourself look pretty stupid. I am sorry people are losing their jobs, but it was becoming pretty clear for a while.
johnson54981 Jun 14, 2012 10:51 AM
Wiscojo Jun 14, 2012 2:17 PM