Turkington USA is Shutting Down Its Industrial Oven Manufacturing Plant in Clayton, North Carolina

More bad economic news just hit the Tar Heel State. Here is the Triangle Business Journal with the details:

Turkington USA is shutting down its industrial oven manufacturing plant and U.S. headquarters in Clayton – a move that will affect 101 workers.

A temporary receiver has been appointed to either wind down or sell the business, according to a Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notice and letter submitted by Turkington USA President Clive Tolson to the North Carolina Department of Commerce on Feb. 14.

U.K.-based Turkington had moved its U.S. operations from Goldsboro to Clayton in 2009 when it needed to expand its business, according to the North Carolina Rural Economic Development Center.

Once again, we see a community that subsidized a private business interest to no avail:

The Rural Center had awarded a $324,000 building reuse grant to the Town of Clayton to go toward renovation of a former plastic components manufacturing facility that Turkington would use to expand its operations.

The new plant in Clayton opened in September 2009. The company employed 111 people at the time and had plans to create 27 additional jobs. Its clients included Pepperidge Farm, Sara Lee and Flowers Foods, according to the Rural Center.

However, all hopes for the company’s expansion have been dashed. Under the arrangement with the receiver, Turkington USA will begin shutting down the plant on Feb. 17, a process that will extend through March 2.

From expansion to collapse in just over two years. It sounds to me likel someone completely misread the real economic conditions out there.


Bonus: Sorry about that, North Carolina. I guess all we can do is play you a song