Leigh Fibers to Close Canadian Facility

Leigh Fibers, Spartanburg, S.C., has announced that Leigh Textile Co., its Montreal fiber reprocessing facility, will cease operations in December due to the declining number of customers for recycled textiles in Canada and the Northeast United States.

Keith Taylor, Leigh Fibers president, says. “It was a difficult decision to close an operation that has been part of the Leigh family since 1948. But so many customers in this region have gone out of business in the last few years, or substantially reduced their volume, that the plant can no longer operate profitably. The Canadian market, however, remains an important component of Leigh’s future growth, and we will continue to serve our existing customers and to actively seek new opportunities.”

Taylor says remaining Leigh Textiles customers will be served from Leigh Fibers’ facility in Wellford, S.C., which has a capacity of one million pounds per day.

The company will provide career transitioning support to its employees. Some employees are expected to take positions with Leigh Fibers.