Citing "continued weak markets," Armstrong World Industries (Lancaster, Pa.) has said it will idle its Statesville, N.C., engineered flooring plant April 29, laying off 103 hourly workers and 11 salaried employees.
David Mullis, general manger of Armstrong Floor Products, stressed that the plant closing had nothing to do with employee performance. "There is nothing any one of us could have done differently or better to change this course of action. This is simply a question of current economic conditions requiring the company to make the best use of its capacity without impacting our customers," he said in a release.
The Statesville plant has operated since 1989, according to the Charlotte Observer. Armstrong acquired the plant when it bought Triangle Pacific Corp. in 1996.
