Medline to close hospital kit operations in suburban Chicago

Medline Industries will lay off about 180 workers at its Mundelein, Ill., facility by the end of November due to falling demand for hospital kits, according to an emailed statement from Blair Klein, Medline's vice president of corporate communications. 

The impact of COVID-19 in driving down hospital volumes has pushed the Northfield-based medical supplies manufacturer to shut down kit manufacturing in Mundelein, the company said. Hospitals often use admission kits or other types of kits to accommodate patients' needs for overnight or post-surgical stays.

“This decision was not an easy one, and we will do everything we can to help place our team members in new roles,” Klein said in the statement. “We are encouraging all employees to apply for other open positions in the company.” 

Plastics manufacturing, research and development labs and a transship warehouse at the facility will expand with the closure, the statement said. The company has expanded its personal protective equipment manufacturing capabilities, among other things, since the pandemic began.

Medline currently has about 275 openings in other medical supplies operations in Lake and Cook counties, according to a company spokesperson.

Laid off employees who do not move into other Medline jobs will receive both a severance package and job placement services, the statement said.