Procter, Gamble Plant ‘Buried’ in Long Beach

Some employees wore black arm bands and others propped up a makeshift cardboard tombstone reading R.I.P. as the last box of Tide detergent was packed and shipped from the Procter & Gamble factory in Long Beach.

The lid on the last box of Tide was sealed Thursday, and the doors to the factory itself are set to be sealed Oct. 2, as the product maker prepares to shut the plant forever.

For 57 years the once-bustling plant manufactured a variety of products that have become household names: Tide, Crisco cooking oil, Safeguard bar soap and other synthetic detergent lines. Procter & Gamble products will continue to be made by the company, but not in Long Beach.

The property, 20 miles south of downtown Los Angeles, has been purchased by the Port of Long Beach for the construction of a containerized freight terminal.

A marching band from a nearby high school played during the bittersweet closing ceremonies. Employees celebrated with a cake emblazoned with the words “In Commemoration of 57 Years of Production.”

The cardboard tombstone was erected by employees above a “casket” made of Tide cases. A crudely drawn picture attached to the cardboard showed a graveyard of discontinued products that had been made at the plant--Crisco, Lava, Coast, Safeguard, Bold and Tide. A little box flying away on angel wings was labeled “Guaranteed Employment.”

A few employees will be going to new jobs at other Procter & Gamble plants. Most will retire or be looking for other work. Almost all will be saying goodby to friends and fellow workers they’ve come to know during years of working at the aging plant.

Before they move on, however, some workers will spend the next two weeks sweeping out the plant and taking down some of the equipment that was used since 1931 to manufacture Procter & Gamble products.