Bridgestone Americas’ rubber plantation in Liberia is ending production of liquid latex and will focus its efforts on growing, harvesting and producing rubber for conversion into finished goods, like tires.
The Firestone Natural Rubber Co. will end liquid latex production by the end of this year. The move will also mean that the company’s terminals in Baltimore and Savannah, Ga., where the liquid latex was off-loaded, will be closed.
Some 200 jobs will be eliminated, but most will comes from retirements and workers at the Liberian facility being reassigned to other jobs.