Firm to close briefly Guilford plans three shutdowns

GUILFORD – Guilford of Maine, a manufacturer of textile products for commercial interiors, will shut down its manufacturing operations for three weeks to reduce inventory levels.

The shutdowns will occur Nov. 17-26, Dec 8-17 and Dec. 22-Jan.2, according to Tara Pineo, the company’s communication coordinator.

All 530 company employees at plants in Newport and Guilford and the 110 employees at the Douglass, Mass., plant will be affected by the closures during the weeks of Nov. 17 and Dec. 22. There will be a curtailment in certain sections of the company during the week of Dec. 8 and only certain departments will be affected, she said.

The shutdowns are being conducted to maintain appropriate levels of inventory, according to Pineo. This will allow the company to operate in a more lean manner, she said.

If employees want to, they can take any unused vacation time during those shutdowns, Pineo said.

The company has had a decline in orders because of the economy, according to Pineo. She said the company laid off 10 people in July, two in September, 16 in October and 12 within the last two weeks. No further layoffs are anticipated, she said.