“The decision to close our printing facility in Providence was prompted by an insurmountable supply chain issue.”
The production facility that prints The Providence Journal, the Boston Herald, and several other local newspapers is closing.
The Providence Journal announced the closure on Tuesday. The facility will cease operations in March before the newspaper’s printing is shifted to New Jersey.
“The decision to close our printing facility in Providence was prompted by an insurmountable supply chain issue,” Gannett, the owner of the Journal, said in a statement. “The press utilizes specific plates produced by a single manufacturer, who will be discontinuing their production — rendering our press inoperable.”
The paper reports that the 136 full-time and part-time employees affected by the closure are involved with printing and packaging the newspaper. Eligible employees will be provided severance packages.
“Our commitment to the community is unwavering and the staff at The Providence Journal will continue to provide readers with quality, local content that matters most to them, and to connect our valued advertising partners with the customers they want to reach,” the company said in a statement.
According to the Journal, the Kinsley Avenue plant also prints USA Today and nine other local Gannett newspapers, which will all shift to a plant in Auburn, Massachusetts.
The move, the paper notes, is not expected to significantly impact the delivery of print papers.
According to the Journal, the following Gannett newspapers are also printed at the facility: Worcester Telegram & Gazette, Brockton Enterprise, Cape Cod Times, Fall River Herald News, MetroWest Daily News (Sunday), New Bedford Standard-Times, Newport Daily News, Norwich Bulletin, Quincy Patriot Ledger, and Taunton Gazette.
The plant also has contracts to print the Boston Herald, the Hartford Courant, and the New York Daily News.
Gannett told The Providence Journal that it will work closely with a real estate team to determine the next steps for the press facility. The transition will not impact the office space at 75 Fountain St.
“We deeply appreciate the many years of service our valued colleagues have dedicated to our Providence facility and the local community,” Gannett said in a statement.
The closure comes amid Gannett’s nationwide layoffs of workers as it works to pay off $1 billion in debt after it merged with GateHouse Media. Gannett ceased publishing 20 weekly newspapers statewide and merged them into four digital presences. In March, the company also began closing newsroom offices.
Beth Treffeisen is a general assignment reporter for Boston.com, focusing on local news, crime, and business in the New England region.