Pella Corp., an Iowa company, originally announced October of last year its plans to close, causing the loss of 198 jobs. Last year, the company said it expected to close local operations, 7100 Dixie Hwy., Fairfield, mid to late this year.
On Dec. 22, the closing process will begin with 53 layoffs, according to a letter dated Oct. 11 that was mailed to state, county and Fairfield city officials under the Worker Adjustment Retraining Notification Act. The closing process will continue into next year, with other groups of layoffs to be notified 60 days prior, according to the letter from Pella. According to the same WARN letter, 158 employees will be affected.
In a statement from the company last year, a decline in new home construction of as much as 60 to 70 percent decreased the demand for building materials, such as doors, leading the company to make the decision to close the Fairfield plant.
Pella has 12 manufacturing facilities in the U.S., including the Fairfield factory, which was acquired in 1999, a company spokesperson said at the time of the announcement last year. Two independent distributors of Pella Windows & Doors in Cincinnati will stay open, they said last year.