When we talk about shrinkage, we usually toss out the number of jobs being cut. But another way to look at consolidation is to track all the plants closing. Since January 2007, a total of 77 industry sites employing more than 14,000 people were either closed or have been put on notice, according to Industrial Info Resources, a research firm.

Among the 26 that are still scheduled to be shuttered is an AstraZeneca facility in Ontario; a pair of Biovail plants in Puerto Rico; a Bristol-Myers Squibb facility in Puerto Rico, and a Barr Pharmaceuticals plant in New Jersey. And here’s another Biovail plant that will go.

“Some of the plants targeted for closure will undoubtedly be reopened by others. With companies eager to shed the buildings, and often the equipment inside, some good deals come on the market…Others, like Pfizer in Michigan, are donating buildings and equipment to local colleges, universities and economic development boards to bolster education and, ironically, new job creation for emerging companies,” according to IIR.

“For a few million dollars in renovations, the plants and research sites can often be reopened in just a matter of weeks. Yet, in other cases, some of these sites are tainted by the very factors that targeted them for closure. Aging facilities and equipment coupled with stringent FDA regulations place a particular burden on reopening the doors anytime soon.”