Cincinnati-based uniforms company Cintas Corp. will close its Laurel processing plant and lay off as many as 47 workers, according to a notice filed with Maryland’s Department of Labor, Licensing & Regulation and confirmed by the company.
The processing plant, where uniforms are cleaned and repaired for delivery to customers, will be converted into a traditional branch for uniform pickups and drop-offs, according to Cintas (NASDAQ: CTAS) spokeswoman Michelle Goret. Customers should not notice any disruptions in service, she added, though uniforms of Greater Washington companies will no longer be processed here.
The conversion will be final on June 30. The affected workers will be given a chance to apply to other jobs within the company or provided severance packages based on their tenure with Cintas, which will also offer optional continued healthcare coverage and job placement services, Goret said.
The layoffs are not an indictment of how Cintas views its business within the region as much as they are just part of an effort to become more efficient, Goret said.
“We view the area very optimistically in terms of future growth and viability,” Goret said. “When we look at the broader marketplace we have ample capacity in places where it makes more sense as a company to process these garments.”