WASHINGTON (Bloomberg) - Tyco International Ltd., the world's biggest maker of security and fire systems, will close a plant in Puerto Rico and fire 600 employees in order to move the operations to a lower-cost area.

The Aguadilla plant will shut in phases over the next 12 months and employees will receive severance packages and outplacement services, the company said today in a statement.

The plant makes anti-theft products and is operated by Tyco's Safety Products division. Tyco said it had tried to keep the plant open by investing in new technologies and making job cuts to reduce costs. Tyco plans to move the operations outside of Puerto Rico and declined to give the new location.

"Despite the best efforts of the Puerto Rico team, high operating costs have led" Tyco to relocate the plant, Gopal Chandramowle, director of Global Supply Chain for Tyco Safety Products said in the statement.

A new plant location will be announced "in the coming months" Tyco spokesman Ira Gottlieb said in an interview. Tyco said it plans to set up a research and development centre in Puerto Rico that will employ about 25 engineers. The centre's work on "manufacturing best practices" will be introduced at other Tyco Safety Products facilities worldwide, Gottlieb said.

The Pembroke, Bermuda-based company employed 118,000 workers last year. Tyco fell cents to $45.58 at 4pm in New York Stock Exchange trading. They have lost nine percent in the last 12 months.