SANFORD – Local managers have ensured that a large compact disc manufacturing plant will stay open, and possibly even expand.

The plant was threatened with closure by its Dutch parent company before it was sold to eight local managers who changed the name to U.S. Optical Disc, the original name of the plant when it opened in 1989.

The operation in Sanford has the capacity to turn out 75,000 discs per day and holds a 1 or 2 percent share of the market, according to Shel Horowitz, vice president of business development.

The turnaround time for an order is three to five days, said Ttimm Roy, president and chief executive officer.

The plant currently employs 45 people who work five days a week. At its height, the plant employed more than 100 people and operated 24 hours a day, seven days a week. But the soft market forced layoffs.