CEDAR RAPIDS, Iowa (From news reports) -- The Smurfit Westrock packaging facility in northeast Cedar Rapids will be closing its doors in early October, according to a notice posted this week to the Iowa Worker Adjustment Retraining and Notification (WARN) Act website.

According to the notification, dated Aug. 5, 100 workers at the facility will lose their jobs effective Oct. 4.

"As part of ongoing optimization, Smurfit Westrock will close operations at its corrugated container plant in Cedar Rapids, Iowa," said Robby Johnson, the company's director of North American external communications. "Production at the plant will be moved to other facilities within the Smurfit Westrock network.

Closing activities at the plant will will be complete by mid-October, Mr. Johnson said.

He also noted that outplacement assistance will be available to impacted employees, and that eligible employees may apply for open positions at other Smurfit Westrock facilities.

According to public records, the Cedar Rapids plant, at 1601 Blairs Ferry Road NE, was originally built in 1956 and operated for many years under the ownership of Longview Fibre Paper and Packaging.

Kapstone Paper and Packaging Corp. acquired Longview Fibre, including its Cedar Rapids plant, in 2013.

In 2018, Westrock Co. acquired Kapstone Paper and Packaging Corp., inheriting the Cedar Rapids plant.