The Boston Globe last week said it would close its Billerica production plant by 2010.

The move will affect as many as 200 employees, the paper said.

‘”This has been a very difficult decision to make, but one that will strengthen the financial position of the business,’’ The Globe’s publisher, Steve Ainsley, said in a story posted by The Globe.

The newspaper will consolidate printing at its Dorchester facility.

The Globe said two plants are no longer needed. The newspaper’s circulation has fallen by more than 100,000 in the past 10 years.