MCINTOSH, Ala. — BASF Corporation is scaling back operations at its McIntosh manufacturing facility, a move that will eliminate nearly 80 jobs at the south Alabama plant by the spring of 2027.
The New Jersey-based chemical manufacturer confirmed the cutbacks after a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) notice was filed with the state this week, formally disclosing the scope of the layoffs. Federal law requires large employers to file WARN notices in advance of mass layoffs or plant closures, giving workers and local officials advance notice of significant job losses.
According to the company, BASF will stop operating multiple production lines at the McIntosh site, which currently manufactures specialty chemicals marketed through the company’s Performance Chemicals division. Those chemicals serve the plastics and automotive industries. The facility will continue operating at a reduced footprint after the affected lines are shut down.
BASF spokesperson Alyson Bartol said the company is working to support employees affected by the cuts.
“Despite sustained efforts to improve production efficiency over time, the McIntosh site continues to face a comparatively high-cost position relative to other BASF assets and industry peers,” Bartol said. “Broader market developments, including increasing commoditization and continued margin pressure, have added to the challenges at the site, limiting the long-term viability of profitable production.”
BASF also operates manufacturing facilities in Theodore and Huntsville, both of which the company said are unaffected by the McIntosh cuts.
McIntosh, a small Washington County community of roughly 300 residents in south Alabama, has hosted chemical manufacturing operations for decades. Industrial employers such as BASF represent a significant share of the local economy in Washington County, where large-scale manufacturing jobs are comparatively scarce.
Word of the production line cuts first began circulating in May, though the reductions were not reflected in a public WARN filing with the state until this week. The cuts add to a growing tally of Alabama workers affected by mass layoffs and plant closures in 2026, which now stands at more than 1,900 statewide.