JULY 14, 2022 — 238 LAYOFFS WITH PLANT CLOSINGS IN MISSISSIPPI AND OKLAHOMA
The company filed for bankruptcy in May hoping to avoid closings, but in the long run, operations in Jackson, Mississippi, and Stillwater, Oklahoma, are being shuttered.
The Lancaster, Pennsylvania-based company entered into an agreement to sell the company to Mountville, Pennsylvania-based flooring manufacturer AHF, LLC, and Boston, Massachusetts-based liquidation and restructuring firm for $107 million.
110 employees will be impacted in Jackson and 128 employees in Stillwater.
MAY 20, 2022 —606 FACE LAYOFF IN LANCASTER, PENNSYLVANIA
The company has notified the Pennsylvania Commonwealth that 606 employees, the entire workforce, are facing layoffs on June 17, 2022, unless a buyer can purchase the company out of bankruptcy.
According to Armstrong Flooring Senior Vice President and Chief Human Resources Officer John C. Bassett…
“While we remain committed to successfully completing our sale process, it is possible that we may be unable to identify a buyer that will both address the company’s debt and also allow us to continue to operate as a going concern,” reads part of Bassett’s message to workers, which was obtained Friday by LNP | LancasterOnline. “If we are unable to find such a buyer, we would be forced to shut down some or all of our operations. Under these circumstances, our legal obligations require us to provide notice that there may be total closures of company facilities commencing June 17 …. We would expect such closures to be permanent and for all company facilities to close,” Bassett wrote to Armstrong workers. “If we are unable to avoid closures … affected employees are expected to be separated from employment on June 17, 2022, or within 14 days thereafter.”
The COVID-19 pandemic, supply chain challenges and pressures from inflation, and harsh restrictions from lenders have been blamed as significant factors leading to the bankruptcy. “Simply stated, the company’s increasing costs significantly outpaced its pricing power,” said President and CEO Michel S. Vermette in the bankruptcy filing.
MARCH 28, 2018 — Original post…
n a move announced last year, Armstrong World Industries Inc., based in Lancaster, Pennsylvania, is proceeding with the closure of their St. Helens, Oregon mineral fiber ceilings manufacturing facility with a permanent layoff of 126 employees.
Armstrong CEO Vic Grissle said the St. Helens plant was “simply no longer required in our system” and that operations were being transferred to other facilities.
Armstrong's spokesperson, Jennifer Johnson highlighted a number of manufacturing and distribution issues that impacted the decision to close the facility. According to Johnson, “The market is changing and our customers are demanding higher-end acoustical laminated products that St. Helens can’t make without significant investment in the facility, and after looking closely at that route, it became clear it was cost-prohibitive.” Additionally, the distribution function was impacted by the area’s logistics capabilities, specifically the lack of carrier availability centralized routing, and transportation costs.
Change is coming. There will always be a tomorrow, no matter how much you may try to ignore it. There are no guarantees in life or promises for a bright future. Just because something bad hasn't happened yet, doesn't mean it won't. It can happen to anyone, anytime, anywhere. No one is guaranteed to wake up tomorrow and still have a job by evening. Are you now wondering, Am I Next?