Georgia-Pacific closing Warm Springs, Ga., plywood mill, affecting 321



Georgia-Pacific closing Warm Springs, Ga., plywood mill, affecting 321 | Georgia-Pacific, closure,

WARM SPRINGS, Georgia (From news reports) -- Georgia-Pacific is shutting down a plywood mill in Warm Springs, Georgia, affecting 321 people.

The company's WARN notice for the Georgia-Pacific Wood Products LLC facility in Meriwether County was listed on a state Department of Labor website. The closure will be effective Dec. 17, it said.

It announced the closure on its Twitter account Nov. 16, according to WRBL.com.

"Sharing difficult news: we will be closing our plywood facility in Warm Springs, Ga by the end of the year. This closure will affect approximately 300 of our employees."

In a statement emailed to WRBL News 3, Georgia-Pacific Senior Manager for Public Relations Rick Kimble said:

"Georgia-Pacific will permanently cease manufacturing operations at its Warm Springs, Ga., plywood facility, due to overall market conditions. Although the new home construction market has returned somewhat since the recession in 2007/08, the construction market has continued to tighten this year due to higher interest rates and labor shortages. Plywood continues to be challenged by different -- less costly options -- like OSB and imported plywood continues to be a big driver."

The company said it has eight plywood mills across the United States.

The facility is located on Chipley Highway, northeast of Warm Springs.

Earlier this week, data showed U.S. homebuilder confidence fell to its lowest level in more than two years this month amid rising concerns over affordability. The National Association of Homebuilders' housing market index fell eight points to 60 in November -- the lowest level since August 2016.