A big blow to area auto manufacturing this morning.

Tenneco is planning to close its plant in Owen Sound, putting nearly 500 people out of work.

The auto parts manufacturer is also closing a plant in Georgia, and will centralize their operations in Ohio.

The Owen Sound plant is expected to be fully closed by 2020.

The company says changing markets and capacity requirements led to the decision.

Tenneco says they’ll work with Owen Sound to provide transition assistance for its departing employees. The closure is expected to save Tenneco about $20-25 million a year.