Deerwood Plant Closing

Douglas Machine is closing its Deerwood plant and will move its paperboard packaging machine operation to its main plant in Alexandria . The Deerwood plant employs 45 people. Company President Rick Paulsen said there has been less demand for the type of packaging machine the Deerwood plant produced and it was in the best economic interest of the company to consolidate its operations. The Deerwood plant made machines to package a variety of consumer goods and sold them to companies like General Mills and ConAgra. Paulsen expects ten employees will remain at the Deerwood plant for the next three to six months to service and support existing customers. He said the Deerwood employees were very dedicated and many of them have already found similar work with a Crosby company. Paulsen said Douglas Machine had taken advantage of a JOBZ program for an expansion in 2004. He said its a good program and helpful but it had no impact on the decision to move the Deerwood plant's operation. Douglas Machines was founded in 1965 in Alexandria and bought Davis Engineering in Deerwood in 1996.