Parkdale Mills' Plant 40 in Graniteville scheduled to close soon, economic official says

Feb. 7—Parkdale Mills plans to close its Plant 40 in Graniteville permanently at the end of March and 135 employees will be laid off, according to Will Williams, president and CEO of the Western SC Economic Development Partnership.

"Conditions have been very soft in their market, and this is a step they're taking to keep their business strong," he told the Aiken Standard during a telephone interview Tuesday.

Plant 40 is at 418 Ascauga Lake Road.

"They have 150 employees, and 135 will be let go," Williams said. "The other 15 are going to be transferred to other locations. That's what I was told."

According to Parkdale Mills' website, the company is "the world's leading manufacturer of spun yarns."

Parkdale's corporate headquarters is in Gastonia, North Carolina.

In addition to plants in South Carolina and North Carolina, the locations of the company's factories and distribution facilities include Alabama, Georgia, Tennessee, Virginia, Mexico, El Salvador and the Dominican Republic.

"Obviously, it's very sad news to hear of a plant closure and the loss of local jobs," said Williams of Plant 40's impending shutdown. "But the good news is that if those people want to continue working, they'll be able to do that. There are plenty of opportunities in this community.

"We (the Economic Development Partnership) have already begun reaching out to our other manufacturers, which have in turn reached out (to Plant 40) to get those folks reemployed as soon as possible," Williams added.

The Aiken Standard contacted Parkdale Mills' management by telephone and via email. No responses were received prior to the publication deadline for this story.

There was a fire at Plant 40 in January. No injuries were reported, according to an Aiken Standard article about the blaze.