LUZERNE COUNTY, Pa. — The name that stood over the Memorial Highway in Dallas Township for decades is now scrubbed off the water tower. It's a sign of what's to come for Offset Paperback Manufacturers.
"I spoke with former employees, and we all said the same thing: We're surprised it took this long to close this facility," said former Offset Paperback manager Steve Talacka.
BPG, the parent company of Offset Paperback, sent out a closure notice to employees earlier in the week, dated December 19. Newswatch16 obtained a copy, which states:
"We are very sorry to inform you, regretfully, the Board of BPG USA has decided to close Offset Paperback MFRS operation in Dallas, Pennsylvania. We plan to cease operations on or about May 3, 2024, with OPM's Mass Market Volume to be relocated to the company's plan in Martinsburg, West Virginia."
Back Mountain Chamber President Brenda Pugh says the writing was on the wall.
"We've kind of been seeing the signs, and I think the employees kind of felt it when they weren't upgrading their technology in the building itself. I think they felt it was coming," Pugh stated,
Other Dallas Township officials, like Martin Barry, the township manager, say they were expecting the company to continue its operations, especially after it recovered from a fire at the plant during the winter of 2022.
"It is a shock. We knew that there was a group of retirees this past May. The fires that they sustained last winter, overcoming and rebuilding, at that point, when they made an investment in the building, we thought they were staying for a longer period of time," said Barry.
The company has been a generational employer in the Back Mountain. Steve Talacka worked in management at Offset Paperback during its' 'heyday', from 1986 through 2005. He says it was at its peak production.
"We were running seven days a week, three shifts, 24 hours a day," explained Talacka. "Producing just a huge amount of books, about a million a day."
But now, the facility is producing about one-million books a month. The closure notice blames the shutdown of the facility in the Back Mountain on the rapid decline in printing needs, with production nearly cut in half since 2017.
The memo states, "The Board has explored all possible options to avoid this painful decision, but the massive decline in the Mass Market and Digest book segments will make it impossible to run two printing plants."
"We're not going to go back to smearing ink on crushed trees anymore; we're going to continue with the digital age," said Talacka, "Printing, in general, has declined across the board. As a matter of fact, I think the only area in printing that's really doing well is consumer goods and packaging."
Talacka says he started to see that shift, even while he was there in the early 2000s. He says it is a smart logistical move for the company but one that's difficult on those who make their livelihood at the plant.
"I had a lot of fun in bringing in new technologies and different ways of working. Little did I know that the digital revolution would continue past manufacturing and go right to the consumer in the form of Kindles and smartphones," he added.
With those operations moving out, Township officials say it's going to leave a big empty building alongside the highway.
"The local services taxes help sustain our budget will be lost, and if there isn't a vendor that moves in, and it sits there idle, that won't be good for the township," said Barry.
And those who used to work there say it'll have an even bigger impact on the people of Luzerne County.
"The back mountain's a small community. And myself and my family know a lot of people that either have worked there, continue to work there, or retired from there. And it's sad to see it end," said Talacka.
Newswatch 16 has reached out to BPG-USA, the parent company of Offset Paperback. The company was asked how many jobs will be impacted once those operations come to a close at the end of May, however, the company they declined to comment.