Friday, November 17, 2017 1:00 pm

COLUMBUS, Ohio (From news reports) -- Quad/Graphics Inc. is permanently closing a Columbus printing plant on Dec. 9, ending about 120 jobs.

Columbus is the latest in a wave of closures: 37 from 2010 through this October, according to the Sussex, Wisconsin-based company's latest quarterly report. Last month it announced the closure of a Minnesota plant, ending 330 jobs.

Quad/Graphics acquired the plant along with nearly all the assets of Vertis Holdings Inc. in 2013.

The Columbus plant, at 4051 Fondorf Drive near the west-side junction of interstates 70 and 270, prints primarily glossy advertising inserts, according to the company website. It leases the building, which in September was sold for $8 million in a sheriff's auction to lender Wells Fargo & Co., which had foreclosed on the Philadelphia-based owner.

Quad/Graphics also had used a warehouse at 871 Distribution Drive around the corner, but the leasing agent said it vacated that building earlier this year.

A WARN notice filed with the state Department of Job and Family Services at first says there's a "potential that some employees will be retained," then says it's a permanent closure affecting all jobs. In the Minnesota closure, the company offered some transfers to its Wisconsin locations.

"We are very focused in helping our employees transfer to another Quad/Graphics location," said Maura Packham, vice president of communications. "We have a career fair (in Columbus) the week of Nov. 27."

The company has no other Ohio operations. The nearest are in Kentucky and Michigan.

Quad/Graphics had $45 million profit in 2016, swinging back from a $642 million loss, even as revenue declined from the prior year to $4.3 billion from $4.6 billion.

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