Appleton Electric Plant To Close In Columbus

The Appleton Electric plant in Columbus will close by October 2010, and about 220 people will lose their jobs.

Workers at the plant that makes electrical components, like outlet and junction boxes, learned Friday that Appleton's St. Louis-based owner, Emerson Electric Co., had decided to close the plant.

The company says it decided to close the plant because of the difficult economy and a drop in demand for the cast electrical devices made at the plant.

Earlier this week, Emerson reported a 35 percent drop in its third-quarter profit. The company said it made $387 million net income as demand fell for many of its products.