Salisbury leaders prepare for Jubilant Cadista plant closure
SALISBURY, Md. – More than 200 jobs are at stake following the announcement of the closure of Salisbury’s Jubilant Cadista plant.
Leaders React
Local leaders are just reacting to the news, and getting together to help the company find solutions for its employees.
“We’re certainly going to work hard to try and replace that facility, and the workers as well,” said Salisbury Mayor Randy Taylor.
The factory is responsible for turning out tablets and capsules to the tune of 1.5 billion at a time. Now, the facility is set to shut its doors on June 17th, 2024.
“Manufacturing jobs are critical to the area,” Mayor Taylor said. “I think [Salisbury] Wicomico Economic Development has done a good job of trying to attract and maintain the support for those companies.”
Next Steps
While the company announced it plans to keep its sales and marketing operations in the US market, the immediate focus in Salisbury is figuring out next steps for the facility and its employees.
“I think it affects the community’s psyche, right? Life is tough enough. The challenges facing us locally, nationally, are tough enough,” said Mike Dunn, President and CEO of the Greater Salisbury Committee. “This isn’t 20 jobs or 30 jobs; it’s a couple of hundred jobs. So, it’s a tough day for the community. There’s no other way of saying it.”
Salisbury Wicomico Economic Development’s Executive Director (SWED), David Ryan, called the news a “gut-punch.” However, he says, the focus on helping to battle the uncertainty that Jubilant Cadista employees are facing in Salisbury has already begun.
“Our goal would be to really help the existing employees transition to new opportunities within the communities that we live in,” Ryan said. “And also, find a new employer to create more jobs in that particular plant.”
Ryan says that SWED will assist with any resources employees may need. That may include identifying nearby opportunities, helping with interview processes, and exploring unemployment insurance options.
“There’s no easy answer to when a plant closes like this, and we’ve rebounded before, and we’ll rebound again,” Ryan said.
Looking Ahead
As Jubilant Cadista plans to pack its bags over increasing pricing pressure in the U.S. generic drug market, Ryan says not all hope is lost.
“We are an attractive community, we don’t have a lot of large empty or vacant plants, and we do have a pipeline of prospects,” Ryan said. “The positive side is that we think we can replace those jobs with new employer.”
Jubilant Cadista plans to continue exporting its products from the international market into the U.S. following the plant closure in Salisbury. WMDT reached out to the company for further comment and did not hear back.
