Beaulieu to Close Fiber Plant in Shift Toward Hard Surface Flooring

Dalton, GA, January 11, 2017—Beaulieu America has begun implementation of its long-term strategic plans to align the business to the market and manufacturing resources and yesterday announced a partial closing of its Bridgeport Fibers Plant in Bridgeport, Alabama.

This coincides  with a long-term market shift from carpet to hard surfaces.

The Bridgeport Fibers plant, which has been in operation since 1987 and has 390 employees, extrudes nylon, polyester and polypropylene fibers, provides heat set and cabling for these fibers, and produces nylon pellets for fiber extrusion. The pellet operation of the facility will remain operational. Extrusion, cabling and heat set operations will be produced at other plants in the company’s portfolio with no disruption to overall customer service. The timing of the closures is expected to be completed by March 31.

Beaulieu is working with all associates impacted by providing human resources support to assist with re-employment and transfers to other Beaulieu operations.

Michael Pollard, president of Beaulieu America, joined the company in April 2016 and has been working with the board and management team to implement a strategic plan to better utilize the capacity of its manufacturing operations while investing in key strategic areas. 

Michael Pollard says, “This has nothing to do with the performance of our people in Bridgeport. Our associates there have performed very well over the years, and we are grateful for their dedication and service. We determined that these short-term changes are necessary to allow us to invest long-term in our commercial, residential carpet and hard surface product offering. We will continue to operate in the Bridgeport area with our Bridgeport Fabrics Plant that allows us to remain connected to the community.”

The Bridgeport Fabrics Plant with 225 employees produces primary and secondary backing, post-industrial recycling, and staple fibers. This location has been operational since 1990.

Related Topics:Beaulieu International Group