Cardinal Health cutting 650 Waukegan jobs, moving work to S.C., Mexico
BY FRANCINE KNOWLES Business Reporter/fknowles@suntimes.com January 31, 2013 11:54AM
Updated: March 2, 2013 12:05PM
Cardinal Health is moving its surgical kit production operation from Waukegan to South Carolina and Mexico, costing 650 local jobs and part of a $79 million restructuring.
The operations will move from Cardinal Health’s McGaw Park campus, spokeswoman Corey Kerr said, adding requests for relocation will be taken into consideration.
The Ohio-based company is selling seven of nine buildings on the Waukegan campus. The two remaining buildings will continue to house corporate support positions including marketing, customer support, finance, and legal positions, leaving 700 workers at the campus, and Cardinal Health will maintain its Midwest distribution center in Waukegan and its pharmaceutical distribution center in Aurora, Kerr said.
Cardinal Health also said it is reorganizing its Medical segment organization and plans to sell its sterilization processes in El Paso, Texas.
The restructuring was disclosed in an 8K filing.
“We are continuously evaluating all aspects of our business to ensure we stay ahead of our customers’ needs in today’s rapidly changing health care industry,” Kerr said. “The changes in Waukegan are part of an effort ... that is about delivering our products and services in the most effective way, as well as increasing our portfolio of Cardinal Health-branded products and services. We are evolving to help ensure that all of our resources, both human and capital, are focused on the right things as we continue to deliver the value and cost efficiencies needed in today’s evolving health care industry.”
