Southeastern Container to Close in Effingham

Southeastern Container has plans to close its Effingham plant.

Plant Manager Eric Schober said the closing is due to a change in operation by Coca-Cola. Rather than produce containers in plants like the one in Effingham and then ship the containers to bottling plants, the bottling plants are being equipped with their own container production equipment.

Schober said he expects the plant will cease operations late this year or early in 2016. Forty-nine employees will be affected by the closing, which was announced to employees of the local plant on Tuesday.