FORWARD TWP — BASF, the chemical company on Mars-Evans City Road, will furlough 17 of its 137 employees over the next six months in a site restructuring plan.

Site manager Judy Brinkman announced Friday afternoon that the employees were notified on Thursday of the situation, which is part of a site restructuring that is meant to improve efficiency and competitiveness at BASF’s site and orient the business for growth.

Brinkman said the employees furloughed are from the operations, supply chain and logistics, business management, maintenance and site services, and quality systems departments. She said the positions eliminated are in all levels, from labor to management.

She would not divulge whether any top managers were furloughed.

The employees will be offered a standard BASF severance package, the details of which Brinkman could not discuss. She also could not comment on whether any of the 17 were offered an early retirement package.

The coporate experts, said Brinkman, will help analyze existing positions, then look at what efficiencies can be employed to improve the site’s overall processes, streamline the plant’s work, and perform it faster.