|
 is the
new operating name for
Building Materials Corp. of America, North America's largest
manufacturer of residential and commercial roofing products and
specialty building products. It's annual net sales are approximately
$2.9 billion. It distributes its product under the GAF and GAF-Elk
brands.
By Matthew
Whittle
Published in News on January 15, 2008 01:46 PM
GAF Materials Corp. announced
Monday that it plans to shut down operations at its Goldsboro roofing
materials plant on Jan. 31, ending the employment of 108 workers.
Also affected by the company's
trimming will be a similar mid-sized plant in Quakertown, Pa.
Both facilities produce shingles.
"The nearly unprecedented
decline in the housing market in 2007 has created extremely challenging
market conditions for GAF, as it has for many other roofing
manufacturers, and has resulted in a significant decline in demand for
residential roofing materials," said Executive Vice President and
Chief Operating Officer Dick Nowak in a written statement. "These
market conditions have made improving production efficiency and our
competitiveness even higher priorities than usual.
"We explored options to
improve our competitiveness, but unfortunately, reducing excess
manufacturing capacity is a necessity."
The problem, explained Roger
Assad, vice president-law, is that the Goldsboro and Quakertown plants
are two of the company's smallest -- both two-wide manufacturing lines.
"The larger facilities run
four wide, which has twice the capacity and efficiency as a two-wide
laminator," he said. "And unfortunately, the best decision for
the company is not the best decision for the employees."
Wayne County Development Alliance
Existing Industry Specialist Mike Haney speculated that increasing
transportation and raw material costs also contributed to the decision.
GAF has operated the Goldsboro
plant since 1998 when it purchased the assets from a competitor who was
shutting down operations.
In his written statement, Nowak
emphasized that the shut-downs were "not a reflection on the
Quakertown or Goldsboro employees."
"Their energy, dedication and
solid performance made these closing decisions especially
difficult," he said.
But, Haney added, those qualities
should make it easier for those employees to find new jobs.
By Matthew
Whittle
Published in News on January 15, 2008 01:46 PM
|
