Auto parts producer Timken Co. plans to close its St. Thomas, Ont. plant next year. The move would throw 150 people out of work.

The Ohio-based bearings manufacturer will move the Ontario plant’s production to its operations in Ohio, North Carolina, and South Carolina.

Customer service for the Canadian market will be moved to its offices in Toronto.

The St. Thomas plant, built in 1946, is the latest closure for the area, where the local economy has been hard hit by a slowdown in manufacturing.

Ford of Canada shut down an assembly plant in the town in September 2011, putting about 1,200 employees out of work.