Honeywell to Shut Down in January for Maintenance

Honeywell's Metropolis facility will shut down early next year for scheduled maintenance work.

Plant Manager Jim Pritchett informed employees Thursday about plans for a maintenance shutdown during the first quarter of 2015.

In a company memo, Pritchett says production will be stopped for about 90 days, beginning in early January.

Here is the memo in its entirety:

Dear Colleague:

In September, I announced that we will be conducting a routine maintenance shutdown in
the first quarter of 2015. Planning is well underway and we anticipate stopping
production in early January for approximately 90 days to complete this work.

We have had significant softness in end markets for uranium hexafluoride (UF6) caused
by both the post-Fukushima drop in demand for nuclear fuel and the U.S. Department of
Energy’s practice of approving the transfer and sale of uranium and UF6 from the
government’s inventory into commercial markets for less than fair market value. The
result is that we project lower demand in 2015 and will be able to take advantage of this
extended shutdown period to make all updates and capital improvements planned.

We have shared our production plans with our customers and the U.S. Nuclear
Regulatory Commission and will continue to keep them updated on our progress.

Honeywell continues to invest significantly in the Metropolis operations, having invested
nearly $177 million over the past 10 years in capital improvements, including more than
$50 million in safety projects. The company is planning another $14.5 million in
improvements in 2015.

Your supervisor will speak with you shortly about specific expectations during the
shutdown. Above all, please remain focused on your jobs and continue to work safely at
all times.

Thanks again for all your hard work.

Jim Pritchett
Plant Manager
Honeywell Metropolis Works