SALISBURY — Performance Fibers plans to close a production site in New Hill and move 60 jobs to the company’s plant in Rowan County.
A global manufacturer of industrial and tire reinforcement fibers and fabrics, Performance Fibers on Friday announced plans to cut about 230 jobs at the Moncure facility, which is located in New Hill. The company will transfer production to the plant at 7401 Statesville Blvd. during the next 12 to 15 months, spokesman Brad Leach said.
Moncure employees will have first chance at the 60 new jobs in Rowan County, but because the plants are more than 100 miles apart, accepting a transfer likely would mean relocating, Leach said. The company does not yet have a sense of how many Moncure workers will apply for a transfer, he said.
Pressure from imports caused the company to make the change, Leach said. Performance Fibers will invest $25 million to transform and renew the company, he said.
“We need to make an investment to upgrade and modernize our equipment, and that is impossible or difficult to do when you have multiple sites that are not fully utilized,” Leach said.
Read more in Saturday’s Post.