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Southeast Iowa Plant Will Stay Open A Little Longer

Fort Madison, IA – The timeline to close a factory in Southeast Iowa has been extended. BIC USA announced, last year, that the Sheaffer Pen facility in Fort Madison would close in May of this year. The company now says several departments will remain open beyond that deadline. Spokesperson Jill Klimack says about 40 union and non-union workers will need to stay on the job. Lee County Economic Development Director, Lowell Junkins, says the goal is to make these 40 jobs a permanent fixture in Fort Madison. Klimack says BIC must keep the departments open to meet the needs of customers. She says the company plans close the entire facility within the next two years. About 120 people work at the Sheaffer Pen Plant, which has operated in Fort Madison for nearly 100 years.