Beaulieu America announced a partial closing of its Bridgeport Fibers Plant in Bridgeport, Ala., as part of a long-term strategic plan to align its business to the market and manufacturing resources. The company said the change is happening in response to hard surface business accelerating faster than most predicted.

The plant, which has operated since 1987, has 390 employees and extrudes nylon, polyester and polypropylene fibers; provides heat set and cabling for these fibers; and produces nylon pellets for fiber extrusion. The pellet operation of the facility will remain operational, while extrusion, cabling and heat set operations will be produced at other plants in the company’s portfolio with no disruption to overall customer service.

The closures are expected to be completed by March 31, 2017, and Beaulieu is working closely with all associates impacted by providing human resources support to assist with re-employment and transfers to other Beaulieu operations.

Michael Pollard, president of Beaulieu America, joined the Company in April 2016 and has been working with the board and management team to implement a strategic plan to better utilize the capacity of its manufacturing operations while investing in key strategic areas.

“This has nothing to do with the performance of our people in Bridgeport,” Pollard said. “Our associates there have performed very well over the years, and we are grateful for their dedication and service. We determined that these short-term changes are necessary to allow us to invest long-term in our commercial, residential carpet and hard surface product offering. We will continue to operate in the Bridgeport area with our Bridgeport Fabrics Plant that allows us to remain connected to the community.”

The Bridgeport Fabrics Plant, which has been operational since 1990, employs 225 employees and produces primary and secondary backing, post-industrial recycling, and staple fibers.

For more information, visit usa.beaulieuflooring.com.