According to both The Sentinel of Carlisle, Pa., and Jackson Sun newspapers, Carlisle will place its new plant in a former Whirlpool plant in Tennessee, combining production from Carlisle with that of its former Bowdon, Ga., plant and portions of its Chinese production.
The newly acquired 568,000-square-foot plant site in Jackson will employ 400, according to reports.
The Bowdon, Ga., plant was destroyed by fire last November, an operations were partially moved to a facility in Heflin, Ala., while the company conducted a search for a new plant site.
The Pennsylvania tire and wheel plant will close within 12 to 15 months, reports said, affecting some 340 workers. Carlisle will continue to operate its 260,000-square-foot distribution facility in that city.
The company will be offering Carlisle area workers a relocation package to transfer to the Jackson plant.
According to The Sentinel, hundreds of employees gathered at the Carlisle Expo Center yesterday morning for the announcement. “A Sentinel reporter at the scene was denied entry by a company representative. None of the workers approached after the meeting wanted to comment,” the newspaper said.
In Jackson, the Jackson Chamber of Commerce announced the new plant, according to the Sun. Because of its investment in Tennessee, the company will qualify for a variety of statutory incentives, including FastTrack Job Training Assistance, Industrial Machinery Tax Credits and Jobs Tax Credits, the release said.
Carlisle Tire & Wheel is a division of Carlisle Companies Inc., and was founded in 1917 by Charles Moomy, who started Carlisle Tire and Rubber Co. in that city. (Tire Review/Akron)
