Associated Press - March 18, 2008 7:05 PM ET

OMAHA, Neb. (AP) - Power equipment manufacturer Powermate Corporation has filed for bankruptcy and announced plans to close its Kearney plant, eliminating about 200 jobs.

Powermate said in its U.S. bankruptcy court filing yesterday that it owes between 50 million and $100 million to creditors, most of which are suppliers. The company is seeking Chapter 11 protection.

It is not immediately clear how all of Powermate’s operations will be affected by the filing because no one answered the phones at the company’s Aurora, Illinois, headquarters, and the company has not issued a statement.

The company, which has plants in Kearney and in Springfield, Minnesota, manufacturers portable generators, air compressors and pressure washers.

The Kearney plant manager Ward Jorgenson told the Kearney Hub the plant will close Friday, but wouldn’t comment further.