SPARTANBURG, S.C. — November 4, 2011 — Leigh Fibers announced today that its fiber reprocessing facility in Montreal — Leigh Textile Company — would cease operations in December due to the declining number of customers for recycled textiles in Canada and the northeast United States.

"It was a difficult decision to close an operation that has been part of the Leigh family since 1948," said Keith Taylor, president of Leigh Fibers.  "But so many customers in this region have gone out of business in the last few years, or substantially reduced their volume, that the plant can no longer operate profitably. The Canadian market, however, remains an important component of Leigh's future growth, and we will continue to serve our existing customers and to actively seek new opportunities."

Taylor said remaining Leigh Textiles customers will be served from the Leigh Fibers facility in Wellford, S.C., which has a capacity of one million pounds a day and is North America's largest fiber reprocessing operation.

The company is providing career transitioning support to all Leigh Textiles employees and has retained a Canadian firm to aid them in this effort. Some employees are expected to take positions with Leigh Fibers.

Posted on November 8, 2011

Source: Leigh Fibers