JTI Gallagher in Ballymena
Staff and politicians have been left shocked by the sudden announcement that JTI Gallagher tobacco factory in Ballymena will close.
The closure will see 877 workers at the factory lose their jobs.
On Tuesday staff were told that the factory was to close.
Full production was temporarily suspended after staff found out about the news on Tuesday.
The plant is responsible for pumping around £60m worth of wages into the local economy.
Reports from inside the factory on Tuesday described "shock and tears" as the news was broken.
Now union representatives from Gallagher's will meet with the Executive on Wednesday to discuss the closure of the factory.
Ian Paisley Jr, DUP MP for North Antrim, said: "I have been asked to attend an Executive meeting along with trade union representatives from Gallaher's to see if there's anything we can put in place to help them in terms of retraining, re-skilling and skill audits, but I don't think we'll ever see the like of this again.
"It is the end of an era."
In a joint statement, the Office of First Minister and Deputy First Minister said: "The news that JTI Gallaher staff have received is terrible news for many loyal workers, many of whom have given years of service to this firm over generations.
"For many years JTI Gallaher has been a major employer for Ballymena and has made a significant impact to the wider local economy.
"We will make every effort to mitigate the impact of the job losses and we welcome any opportunity to meet with locally elected representatives to identify what options are available to those affected.
"The Executive will work closely with both the Enterprise and Employment and Learning Ministers to ensure all possible avenues are explored."