THOMPSONTOWN, Pa. — Cabinetworks Group confirmed that it is closing its Thompsontown, Pennsylvania, assembly plant, laying off hundreds of employees, as a result of declining multi-family direct sales business. The company, the country’s largest privately-owned cabinetmaker, said it plans to work with the local union and its Thompsontown employees.

"Yesterday (Sept. 17), we announced the difficult decision to close our Thompsontown, Pennsylvania, manufacturing facility, which primarily manufactures cabinets for the multi-family housing segment of the market," the company said in an email statement to Woodworking Network.

"The multi-family housing sector has faced prolonged challenges, including significant year-over-year declines in housing starts which are expected to continue for the foreseeable future. These deteriorating market conditions drove our decision to close our Thompsontown facility, which will cease operations on December 12. We will meet with the union leadership in the coming days to finalize closure details.

"We understand that the closure will have a significant impact on our team in Thompsontown. In our commitment to support our team members through this transition, we will establish an on-site support system. This system will offer scheduled sessions to assist them with updating a resume, preparing for interviews, and other job-seeking help. We are also actively reaching out to local resources to explore hosting job fairs and hiring events with other regional employers."

The closure is part of the company's plans to optimize the company’s multi-family manufacturing network, leveraging capacity at more modernized and efficient manufacturing plants within its remaining 16-facility, soon-to-be 15-facility, network.

In July, Cabinetworks Group announced that the company was closing manufacturing facilities in Marshall and Jefferson, Texas. The move will affect 350 jobs.

The company ranks #13 on the FDMC 300 list of top North American wood products manufacturers. It employs more than 8,000 people with more than 20 locations, and 18 brands — among them, KraftMaid, Medallion, and Merillat.