Florence Plant to Close

November 3, 2008 — New Millennium Building Systems, a steel joist and deck manufacturing company headquartered in Fort Wayne, Indiana, has announced the intention to close its manufacturing plant in Florence, South Carolina, as of December 8, 2008.

About 70 employees will lose their jobs when the plant discontinues its local operation, said Chris Graham, general manager of the Florence and Lake City, Florida, plants.

“It's with regret that we make this announcement,” Graham said. “It is not a reflection on the employees or the community, which we hold in the highest regard.”

Graham said the recent economic downturn has forced New Millennium to cut back operations at all of its joist and deck plants around the country. “It's been a long haul here,” he said. “The entire year has been soft in the construction business, and this final round of issues with credit have pretty much sealed the deal.”

Most of the New Millennium employees who are losing their jobs are joist fabricators, while a few hold administrative positions. All local employees who show an interest in relocating will be considered for transfer, Graham said.

The New Millennium plant in Florence was previously owned by Socar Inc. In 2006, New Millennium merged with Socar and made significant improvements to the plant’s machinery and facilities.

New Millennium laid off 13 workers at the Florence location Aug. 8 in a bid to restructure the company, citing the soft construction market. Unfortunately conditions continued to worsen, which led to the decision to close the location.

Former customers of the South Carolina plant will not experience any impact in supply, said Graham. The New Millennium plant in Lake City, Florida, will service the South Carolina market. Salem, Virginia, will cover the North Carolina and eastern Tennessee regions. The flagship plant in Butler, Indiana, and the special profile joist facility in Continental, Ohio, will service western Tennessee.

“We can coordinate really well between our plants,” Graham said.“We can pick up capacity if any one location gets too busy. We will always find a way to take care of our customers and get their orders out when they need them.”

 

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