Empire Die Casting Co. of Macedonia, which last month filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy protection in U.S. Bankruptcy Court in Akron, officially has notified the state that it will close and let 211 employees go.

In a letter dated Oct. 28 to the Ohio Department of Job and Family Services, Empire Die Casting said the plant at 635 East Highland Road in Macedonia will close by Dec. 31 and its assets will be sold. Of the affected employees, 169 are members of a local chapter affiliated with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters, the company said in the letter. There are no bumping rights for employees.

As previously reported, New Growth Capital Group LLC of Hudson has submitted a letter of intent to acquire Empire Die Casting's assets for $11.7 million in cash and would be designated the stalking horse bidder in a coming auction, if the current bankruptcy filings are approved.

Empire Die Casting's letter to the state said it is the company's “current understanding that the potential buyer will continue to operate a die casting company under new ownership and a different name.”

“Based upon the information available now and assuming the sale goes through as intended, the new owner may offer employment to some or all of Empire Casting's employees, but that is entirely outside the company's control,” the letter stated.

A message left for Robert Hopkins, president of Empire Die Casting, was not immediately returned.