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Magnolia Manufacturer To Shutter Plant, Ending 300 Jobs

Downtown Magnolia, Arkansas.
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A fuel-cell manufacturer has notified local officials that it will shut its plant in Magnolia, putting about 300 people out of work in south Arkansas.

Magnolia Mayor Parnell Vann says he was notified last week that American Fuel Cells and Coated Fabrics Co., also known as Amfuel, will shut down production at its plant. The manufacturer has been located in Magnolia for more than 60 years.

A spokesman for the Arkansas Economic Development Commission says the agency was notified of the plant's closure and said the company received no state incentives.

Amfuel makes fuel cells for the aerospace industry. The company's predecessor, Firestone Tire & Rubber Co., moved to Magnolia from California at the end of World War II and converted a former cotton mill for its use.

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