A specialty paper manufacturer based in south-central Pennsylvania is permanently closing its converting facility in Fremont, Ohio, putting 61 people out of work starting Dec. 1. Pixelle Specialty Solutions, headquartered in Spring Grove, York County, informed the state of Ohio that it will shut down the plant at 2275 Commerce Drive, tying the closure directly to the sale of the business that kept the facility running.
Pixelle told the state the closure results from its agreement to sell its carbonless business, which the company describes as the primary manufacturing activity at the Fremont site, according to PennLive. The buyer does not plan to keep the Fremont operation going. Per the same report, the buyer intends to move production to a facility in Wisconsin instead of continuing operations in Ohio.
That buyer is Nekoosa Coated Products, which is exiting with Pixelle's Carbonless Sheets business, as reported by Yahoo News. A Pixelle spokesperson told the outlet that Nekoosa plans to move the production to an existing facility in Wisconsin rather than retain the Fremont site. The deal also included the ExcelOne brand, according to a statement cited by Midland Co., which said Nekoosa has acquired Pixelle's Carbonless Sheets business, including the ExcelOne brand.
Layoffs Begin Next Month, With More to Follow
The job losses will not all happen at once. Sixty-one people will be laid off beginning Dec. 1, per the WARN notice cited by PennLive, with additional layoffs occurring in stages after that. A related notice filed with Ohio's labor department, reviewed via a state WARN filing, states that Pixelle has announced it will permanently close its Fremont, Ohio converting facility at that same Commerce Drive address.
The federal WARN Act requires employers to give workers 60 days' advance notice ahead of covered plant closings and mass layoffs, a requirement built into the filing process Pixelle followed with Ohio regulators. Ohio Means Jobs is now working with Pixelle on a rapid-response effort for affected employees, which the Yahoo News report says could include on-site counseling and a job fair for workers losing their positions.
Local Job Market Still Hiring, County Official Says
The closure lands in a county that has otherwise been adding jobs. Sandusky County saw more than 1,000 new jobs created in 2025, and local employers were still looking to hire, according to the county's economic development director as cited by the same Yahoo News account.
The Fremont closure follows a larger round of cuts at another Pixelle site in Ohio. The company announced in August 2025 that it would close its Chillicothe facility, affecting roughly 800 workers, according to Yahoo News, though The News-Messenger reported the Chillicothe closure would impact 826 employees — the two outlets differ on the exact figure. The News-Messenger also reported that Pixelle said at the time some manufacturing from the Chillicothe mill could move to its Fremont facility, a plan now overtaken by Fremont's own impending shutdown.
