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Blue Bell Creameries Is Closing Its Wichita Distribution Center

Flickr Creative Commons/MikeGC2011

 

Blue Bell Creameries announced it's shutting down a distribution center in Wichita. The decision is part of a string of nationwide layoffs the company announced last week.

An outbreak of listeria in Blue Bell Ice Cream prompted the company to recall all of its products earlier this year. The lack of production has now led to over 1,400 employees being laid off and 14 distribution centers being shut down.

Paul Kruse, president of Blue Bell Creameries, stated in a video posted on Friday that the listeria outbreak has ground production to a halt as they "clean and improve" four production plants.

“We do not have a firm timeline for when we will start producing again. And when we do, we’ll start up in a more limited way," Kruse said. "So we do need to reduce salaries and the size of our workforce.”

In a press release, Kruse said the employee actions affect three groups:

  • Employees who are essential to ongoing operations and cleaning and repair efforts will continue to work but have their pay reduced.
  • A second group of employees will be placed on partially paid furlough. They will be paid a substantial portion of their current pay, with the expectation that they will return to work as production resumes.
  • Because there is not a clear timeline for when production will resume, and because supply and distribution will be limited when it does, a third group of employees will be laid off.

The company did not list the number of jobs lost in Wichita.
The distribution center in Kansas City is also among the 14 being shut down nationwide.