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Winston-Salem, North Carolina/August 12, 2003 /Hanes Dye and Finishing Co. stateed that it has laid off 65 employees at its plant at 600 Northwest Blvd. in Winston-Salem.

The cuts represent 13 percent of its total work force of 500. The company also will change its production schedule from three 8-hour shifts to two 12-hour shifts, said Randy Snyder, the president of the Hanes Companies division. The shifts will operate three to four days a week, depending on demand for its apparel products.

Snyder said that the company does not expect to have to cut any more local jobs in its attempt to balance production demand with providing 40-hour workweeks for its remaining 285 employees in Winston-Salem. The company has another 150 workers in Butner and Easley, S.C., which are not affected by the restructuring.

"We regret the impact this will have on our loyal employees and we are making every effort to ease the transition," Snyder said. "We have no plans to close this operation. This action is necessary to keep the company healthy and to protect the jobs of those who will continue to work with us."

The company makes apparel products, such as waistbands and pockets, for manufacturers who ship goods to South America and the Caribbean.

The company sent a memo to employees in July that it was evaluating the Winston-Salem operations to determine what restructuring steps were necessary for it to compete against imports in a tight economy. Snyder said that only 12 workers accepted an incentive package to voluntarily leave the company, and no one decided to retire early.

Snyder said that the company intends to recall as many workers as possible as vacancies occur or if production demand picks up.

"Everyone who has been affected has been talked to individually about their situation, the possibility of being recalled and what labor sources are available to them," Snyder said.

Hanes Dye and Finishing traditionally has been one of the 10 largest manufacturers in Forsyth County, according to Winston-Salem Business Inc.

Snyder said that business has been off about 20 percent in post-Sept. 11 business. As a private company, Hanes Dye and Finishing is not required to disclose financial figures.

"Virtually every business today is affected by the state of the U.S. economy, imports, rising natural-gas prices and out-of-control health-care costs," Snyder said. "We are no exception."

"We had a rough year in 2001. Things were somewhat better in 2002, but 2003 had turned out to be a mirror image of 2001," he s

Hanes Dye and Finishing is the latest of a long string of layoffs that have impacted the state's textile and apparel industries in the past year. Pillowtex Corp. closed the doors on its 16 plants July 30, immediately laying off 6,450 workers, including 4,850 in North Carolina.

Counting the Pillowtex and Hanes Dye and Finishing layoffs, the state has lost at least 15,615 apparel or textile jobs since July 2002, according to the N.C. Employment Security Commission. The industries have a combined workforce total of 64,885 jobs in the state.

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