Shaw Industries said Wednesday that it will close a 288-worker plant in Dalton as part of plans to consolidate some of its manufacturing of the materials that go into carpeting.
By late November, the Dalton-based company will have shut down work at Plant 6 in Dalton, a factory that makes residential fiber. Shaw intends to do more production at “facilities with broader, more modern capabilities,” according to a statement from the company.
The plant is 57 years old, the company said.
“These decisions are never made lightly,” Heather Canada Smith, vice president of human resources, said in a statement. “The associates at Plant 6 have been instrumental in serving our customers by creating exceptional quality products, and we are committed to supporting them during this transition.”
Those workers will have a chance to apply for other openings in the company, she said.
The fiber and the carpet it goes into are part of the larger housing market and are to an extent at its mercy.
Shaw, like other makers of materials that go into homes, has seen demand fluctuate with sales and with construction of new houses.
Resales of homes have declined for several years, especially since mortgage rates started rising. While new construction has picked up, that has also been constrained by higher rates and higher costs, as well as zoning restrictions in many places.
The company has more than 11,000 employees in northern Georgia and 18,000 worldwide. The company has approximately 35 manufacturing, distribution and corporate administrative facilities in Dalton and operates approximately 80 manufacturing and distribution facilities in the United States.
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