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November 21, 2009

Manufacturing suspended at Inland Building

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By Trent Moore The Cullman Times

CULLMAN — Manufacturing operations at Inland Building Systems have been suspended temporarily, resulting in the loss of approximately 40 Cullman jobs related to metal manufacturing at the Cullman plant.

Approximately 15 manufacturing employees were cut this month, joining 25 workers laid off in an initial round of layoffs in April.

“Due to the slow economy, which really impacts everything, we are slowing down production at the facility,” Schulte Building Systems vice-president and controller Ronnie Peters said. “The manufacturing wing of the plant has been temporarily closed.”

Schulte Building Systems, which purchased Inland in late 2008, will move manufacturing operations to a Texas facility in the interim.

The drafting, sales and engineering operations will remain open at the Cullman location.

Cullman Economic Development Agency Assistant Director Dale Greer said he was glad to hear the entire office would not be closing.

“They have been a great employer here, and we’re glad to see that is not across-the-board,” he said.

Once the economy eventually rebounds, Peters said Schulte plans to re-open and eventually expand the Cullman location.

“As soon as the economy shows some signs of life, we have a big renovation plan in the works that should add additional capacity,” he said. “We want to start on that as soon as we see signs the economy is beginning to turn. That facility is still a huge part of our growth plan going forward.”

The renovation project should expand the location’s workforce to approximately 150. Before the recent layoffs, the plant averaged approximately 89 employees.

“It really is a negative for those workers  in the short-term, but we didn’t have a choice,” Peters said. “We just can’t spend the money until the economy starts to turn around.”

Peters said company officials should have a better idea of when operations will resume next year.

“We should have a good idea of things going forward in mid-2010,” he said.

Greer said he hopes Schulte will re-open the manufacturing wing soon and that it will remain an important part of the Texas-based company’s future plan.

“When they purchased Inland, they said it was a great addition to their company and that the Cullman location offered a lot of advantages,” he said. “It just seems like, with the economy, they’ve had to make some changes. Hopefully this should just be a temporary thing.”



* Trent Moore can be reached by e-mail at trentm@cullmantimes.com, or by telephone at 734-2131, ext. 225.

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