"It's a credit to our people that we have been able to improve our financial position despite the hard time of the past year," she said. "There has been a lot of uncertainty among employees last year and concerns about the future." The plant manager said that further reductions will be necessary "to get our business globally competitive." He pegged that number at between 70 and 75 but noted "there "still are a number of employees who fall under early voluntary retirement and there are those workers willing to take a separation package." Smith said the phasing out of up to 75 more positions "will put us in a position that we are the most competitive supplier of Always for the North American market. The long-term security is not only remaining competitive in Always, but also accepting new product lines and producing them at a competitive rate." Procter and Gamble's corporate head office, he noted, is studying the possibility of adding new product lines to its Belleville plant and final decisions are expected later this year. "I can't predict what the outcome will be for the Belleville plant but we are clearly established as a strategic sourcing site for Procter and Gamble," Smith said. ' "We still have more to do to ensure that we are financially competitive with other sites in the world tjiat might bid for this business." Opened in 1975 on 150 acres of property in the Northeast Industrial Park, Procter and Gamble has turned out several products, including diapers with the Pampers and Luvs names, adult incontinence products like Attends and feminine hygiene products like Always and Alldays. Since 1996, the 560,000 square-foot manufacturing plant (which alone covers 13 acres) has been exclusively producing its feminine hygiene products, Always and Attends, primarily for the North American market. Smith said the plant's future is brighter than it was just a few years ago. "For two-thirds of our business, we have been able to make such financial improvements in our operation that we are achieving the best financial results. That's a compliment toisihis organization and sets an example that a Canadian plant can compete with the United States and Mexico. We're showing we can win out in the market." The plant manager said the economy has turned around to the point that Procter and Gamble is pursuing other product lines. "If the company decides to launch those products, that will be done here in Belleville," he said proudly. i O