Shaw Industries to Close West Coast “Tuftex” Carpet Mill

Dalton, GA, September 20, 2023-Shaw is closing its West Coast carpet manufacturing operations, which includes both tufting in Santa Fe Springs, California and yarn manufacturing in Yuma, Arizona. Much of the carpet produced from this facility was branded Anderson-Tuftex.

A big part of this decision was driven by Stainmaster’s exit from the carpet yarn market, which led the company to extrude in-house in its South Carolina facility, and the cost to ship these components across the U.S. is burdensome. In addition, energy is more expensive in California. Shaw will move its West Coast tufting equipment to its East Coast operations.

The Tuftex operation was started by Leo Cook, who sold it to Queen; it became part of Shaw in 1998 when Shaw purchased Queen. For years, products made in this plant were known for their West Coast styling, and customers paid a premium knowing the products were produced in California.

According to Julian Saul, former president of Queen Carpet and president of Shaw Industries in the late ’90s, "I’m not surprised to learn of this decision because it makes economic sense to produce more yardage from fewer plants. For years, our Tuftex operation in California was the best in styling and quality. I am sad to learn of the loss of jobs at the plant, but this could be good news for Northwest Georgia. California is an expensive place to do business."

Says Scott Sandlin, executive vice president, residential division, “We are steadfastly committed to Anderson Tuftex brand and the premium styling that it represents. Our plan is to expand this brand as we move forward, but, as you can imagine, this has been a tough decision because of the impact it makes on our west coast team.”

The company has been building inventory in preparation of decision, which will impact approximately 500 west coast employees.

Bentley Mills and Dixie are now the only carpet mills producing on the West Coast, as Royalty closed its operations in the past six years.

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