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Floorcovering manufacturer Mohawk Industries plans to add 150 jobs to its Bridgeport, Ala., nylon fiber facility it acquired this year as the company makes "significant upgrades" to the site.
Since the acquisition was completed in early May from Beaulieu America, Mohawk has added 50 jobs to the existing Bridgeport workforce, and it's in the process of hiring about 100 more for new positions, the company said on Tuesday.
Before Calhoun, Ga.-based Mohawk announced this spring that it would buy the former Beaulieu carpet plant, plans were to phase out more than 300 jobs this year.
Officials in Jackson County, Ala., said the job-saving acquisition avoided a complete shutdown of one of its biggest employers.
Dennis Long, the plant's director of fiber and polymerization, said the acquisition is another layer in the vertical integration of the company by adding Nylon-6 polymerization.
"Mohawk's investments in state-of-the-art equipment and site improvements are making the Bridgeport plant an even better place to work," he said in a statement.
Mohawk is investing "significantly" in the facility's infrastructure and technology, including new manufacturing equipment, according to the company. It also said that it has fully renovated restrooms and break rooms and plans to replace the facility's roof.
In addition, Mohawk said it has implemented a general wage increase at the factory, introduced a renewed focus on safety and training, installed digital signs for regular communication, and it added a filtered water system and on-site kiosks through which employees can access company-provided resources.
Bridgeport Human Resources Manager Angie Yates, who has worked at Mohawk for 23 years, said the company is creating new opportunities for Bridgeport residents and the surrounding area.
According to Mohawk, it boosted its net income companywide last year by 24 percent to a record high $930 million, or $12.48 per share.
The manufacturer said sales rose last year by 11 percent to $9 billion with gains in both carpets and hard floorings, including ceramic, hardwood, vinyl and laminate.
"Our revenues for the year rose to an all-time high, our (earnings before taxes, interest charges, depreciation and amortization) increased to $1.7 billion and we generated adjusted operating income of $1.3 billion, up 24 percent over the prior year, the highest in our history," Mohawk Chief Executive Jeff Lorberbaum said earlier this year.
Contact Mike Pare at mpare@timesfreepress.com or 423-757-6318.