Sugar producer AmCane Sugar LLC recently revealed plans to close its sugar refinery in Taylor, MI and cut dozens of jobs at the site. The company sent a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act (WARN) notice to the State of Michigan Workforce Development Agency on November 5 outlining its plans to shutter the Taylor facility in mid-February 2020.

The job cuts will impact workers that are represented by the United Food and Commercial Workers (UFCW), Local 876, the WARN notice stated. AmCane Sugar said that less than 100 people currently are employed at the facility.

Michigan Sugar, which acquired AmCane Sugar in 2016, told Crain’s Detroit Business it decided to close the site after the company lost its ability to use a deep-water port off of the Detroit River and because of an inconsistent supply chain.” The port received tons raw materials for use in sugar production.

AmCane Sugar’s refinery in Taylor produces granulated sugar, liquid sucrose, real boiled brown sugar, and specialty granulated sugars, information on the company’s website said. The facility reportedly processes about 100,000 tn/yr of raw cane sugar.

This week, Powder & Bulk Solids reported that the US Department of Commerce expanded the quantity of Mexican refined sugar that can be imported into the US by 100,000 short tons in response to a slowdown in US sugar production. The US Department of Agriculture (USDA) notified the Department of Commerce that the additional refined sugar was needed for the US market after poor weather in sugar beet and sugarcane regions caused a slowdown in production.

Sugar production is also down globally. The International Sugar Journal said this month that sugar output across the globe is expected to drop to a three-year low during the 2019/2020 season.

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