KINSTON – MasterBrand Cabinets plans to eliminate 391 jobs at its Kinston plant in a permanent layoff effective Nov. 27 as the company shuts down one product line while keeping other operations at the site.
The North Carolina Department of Commerce WARN summary lists MasterBrand Cabinets LLC at 651 Collier-Loftin Road in Kinston. The state record says the company submitted its notice Sept. 28, the action is a permanent layoff rather than a plant closure, and 391 workers are affected at the location.
WITN reported that MasterBrand is shutting down its Value Semi-Custom cabinet operations at the facility. The company said other operations will continue, while jobs tied directly to that product line will be eliminated and some positions will be consolidated.
The state summary provides one effective date, Nov. 27, but does not break down the affected jobs by title or say whether all separations will occur on that date. The available records also do not characterize the action as a full closure of the Kinston facility.
WITN reported that the reduction comes nearly five years after a previously announced expansion that was expected to add 464 jobs and involve a $13.7 million investment in Lenoir County. The state had approved a performance-based Job Development Investment Grant projected to provide up to $3.9 million over 12 years for that expansion.
The immediate business consequence is a large reduction in manufacturing employment in Lenoir County. Because MasterBrand says other operations will remain at the site, the scope is narrower than a full plant shutdown, but the WARN filing establishes a permanent loss of 391 positions.
Featured image: MasterBrand Cabinets facility in Kinston. Credit: WITN. The photograph was proportionally cropped and resized, then placed above the approved NC Business Desk footer.