Guilford of Maine lays off workers

GUILFORD – Lack of production demand is to blame for the layoff of 20 Guilford of Maine employees in the last month, an official for the textile company said Monday.

Mary Alyce Higgins, vice president of human resources for Interface Fabrics Group, said she was unsure if or when employees would be rehired.

“If the production demands are such that we need to recall them, we’ll recall them,” Higgins said, “but that depends on the needs of the business.”

Ten workers have been laid off from the weave room, with the other 10 positions scattered throughout the company.

These numbers do not include workers who have been transferred within the company from one department to another. Along with the layoffs, some new positions have been created in other departments because of production needs at the upholstery and panel fabric supply company.

“We’ve had some layoffs, we’ve had some departments that have added staff,” Higgins said. “It’s just a normal part of business operation.”

Higgins would not speculate as to whether there would be more layoffs in the near future.

Guilford of Maine is a member of the Interface Fabrics Group and has approximately 1,000 employees.