Westlake Capacitors to Shut Plant, Fire 160

Westlake Capacitors will close its Westlake Village plant by summer, idling about 160 workers.

The company’s president, Robert Bauer, said the plant will be closed as part of a consolidation move by its parent firm, Emhart, which is based in Farmington, Conn. The decision to close the Westlake Village plant, which manufactures equipment that stores electricity, was prompted in part by the recent slowdown in the electronics industry, he said.

Westlake Capacitors is part of Mallory Capacitor, a division of Emhart based in Indianapolis, Ind. Bauer said that the Westlake Village operations will be transferred to other Mallory plants.