Dow Kokam, a company jointly owned by The Dow Chemical Company, TK Advanced Battery LLC and Groupe Industriel Marcel Dassault, announced layoffs of U.S. workers in December. The company has a total U.S. workforce of about 250 people, with about 95 of those were employed in the Midland plant. The company produces battery cells at the Midland Battery Park and the assembly of battery packs in Missouri and France. Citing slow growth in demand for advance energy storage systems, approximately 40-60 employees at the two U.S. sites will be laid off.

Construction of the 60,000 square foot addition to Dow Kokam facility in Midland has been slowed down. While the company will continue to produce advanced lithium-ion batteries out of its Midland site, it currently has no plans for further cuts. Bill Gagliardi, the company’s director of public affairs and branding, said of the layoffs, “Everything we’re doing is based on the market being in a slow growth mode. It’s positioning us to be able to compete in today’s market, but also be able to capture growth as that happens.”