Window-maker Philips Products ceasing operations-WEB ONLY

Indiana-based manufacturer Philips Products Inc. is ceasing operations, a move that will put 675 people out of work at plants in six states. The closure will cost 250 jobs in its headquarters city of Elkhart, which has seen its unemployment rate reach about 18 percent with the collapse of the RV industry. The company says demand had declined for the windows and doors it made mostly for the recreational vehicle and manufactured housing industries. Its parent company, London-based Tomkins PLC, said it had tried for 15 months to find a buyer for Philips Products.