Shannon, GA, January 22, 2007--The last production day has been set for the Florida Tile plant in Shannon, Georgia. The tile factory’s production is scheduled to end on February 15, about eight months after its 150 workers were told of the upcoming shutdown.
“We’re running 50 percent production now and have been for about three months,” said Buck Burwell, Florida Tile’s CEO.
Burwell initially predicted the shutdown would take 12 to 18 months, as the company shifted all production to Lawrenceburg, Kentucky.
The company, which was purchased in February 2006 by Italian tile firm Panaria Group, is in the midst of a $20 million expansion at the Kentucky facility to add porcelain tile production. Burwell said the new production line should be in operation by July.
Demand has declined severely for the clay-based tiles that were produced in Shannon, Burwell said in June at the time of the announcement.
As the final shutdown nears, the Shannon property’s owner has hired the Hart Corp., an industrial facility marketing firm, to help find a buyer that will put the 555,000-square-foot facility back into use.
