Bayer to shutter Pennsylvania site, jeopardizing 600 jobs

Jan. 16, 2019

Amid restructuring efforts related to its $63 billion acquisition of Monsanto, Bayer has decided to shutter a facility outside of Pittsburgh.

According to the company, positions for the nearly 600 employees and 100 contract workers at the Robinson plant will be cut over the next two years. 

Bayer first laid its roots in Robinson in 1958 and the site eventually became the German pharma giant’s North American headquarters. In 2012, Bayer’s North American headquarters moved to New Jersey and the Robinson facility became the base for Bayer MaterialScience. Most of the current jobs at the site are administrative including IT, HR and legal positions. 

Bayer said it is exploring options for moving employees to other locations within the company. It is also in talks with Covestro, a spin-off company that already leases space at the facility, about taking over the site.  

The decision comes as Bayer works to streamline its operations with Monsanto. Bayer announced in November 2018 that it plans to lay off about 12,000 employees worldwide by 2021. 

Read the full Pittsburgh Post-Gazette report.