BATON ROUGE- Houston-based Union Tank Car Company plans to layoff more than 200 of its employees this summer at its Alexandria facility.

The company expects 224 permanent employee layoffs beginning on or within 14 days June 24, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification (WARN) issued by the company on Tuesday.

The layoffs are expected due to “projected business needs" and as a result of a drop in demand for railcars.

The Louisiana Workforce Commission’s Rapid Response team will conduct orientation sessions for affected employees next week.

Companies are required to file WARNs under the federal Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act if there is a full plant closure resulting in 50 or more employees losing their jobs in any 30-day period.