Unifi To Shift Staunton, Va., Operation To Yadkinville, N.C., Facility

Greensboro, N.C.-based textured yarn manufacturer Unifi Inc. has announced it will shut down its polyester yarn beaming and warp drawing plant in Staunton, Va., and move that operation to its manufacturing facility in Yadkinville, N.C. The approximately 140 employees in Staunton are being offered jobs at Yadkinville.

According to Ronald Smith, Unifi’s CFO, the move will enable the company to reduce expenses by removing the cost of transporting product back and forth between the two plants. In addition, he said the company will implement upgraded beaming and warp drawing operations in Yadkinville to help satisfy customer demands. The transition of operations is expected to be complete by the end of September.

“We’re looking at savings, but we also will be improving our flexibility and the productivity of our assets,” Smith said. He added that once the move is completed, the company’s entire domestic polyester business, worth some $500 million to $550 million, will be located in Yadkinville and will employ some 1,400 workers at that facility.

Unifi also has a polyester operation in Brazil. In addition, it employs about 1,000 workers in its domestic nylon yarn business.

May 27, 2008