Zoetis Shutter or Selling 10 Manufacturing Sites - up to 2,500 Layoffs

http://journalstar.com/business/agriculture/zoetis-cutting-jobs-closing-plants-under-investor-s-pressure/article_4ab6db4b-876a-5b9b-9dc8-f0a6bdb894c2.html

The animal-health drugmaker that was spun off from Pfizer Inc. will fire as many as 2,500 workers -- about one-quarter of its workforce -- and shutter or sell 10 manufacturing sites after facing pressure from activist investor Bill Ackman to pare itself down.
In Lincoln, the company employs 580 people doing research and development, and manufacturing animal vaccines and pharmaceuticals.  Just last week, the local operation won the Governor's Bioscience Award, which recognizes individuals and companies that have made significant contributions to the industry in Nebraska.
The company is almost finished with a 19,000-square-foot, three-story expansion to the west end of its plant at 601 W. Cornhusker Highway. Initial production is going through validation with the Food and Drug Administration, the company said last week. The expansion will accommodate the full production, probably next year, of Synovex, an injectable growth hormone for beef cattle.