Omega Cabinetry closes temporarily due to virus, furloughs 800 workers
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WATERLOO, Iowa - Omega Cabinetry is temporarily closing its Iowa manufacturing plant due to COVID-19. Nearly 800 workers will be laid off.
 
Employees were told April 23 that they would be laid off until at least May 4. The company said the closure is necessary because an employee recently tested positive for the virus.
 
“MasterBrand Cabinets is making the decision to temporarily close its Waterloo facility until May 4,” said the company. “Although there has only been one confirmed case of COVID-19 within our workforce, we have been evaluating developments in the area and believe this is an important step to take not just for our employees, but for the public health of the Waterloo community we are proud to call home.”
 
This is the second big closure in the town of Waterloo, which saw Tyson Foods recently shut down its pork processing center there - the company's largest. That closure resulted in 2,800 layoffs.
 
Omega Cabinetry is owned by MasterBrand, North America's largest cabinetmaker. MasterBrand has had lots of problems due to the virus, having shut down both its StarMark Cabinetry plant in South Dakota as well as an Alabama plant for two weeks. Both shutdowns were forced after employees tested positive for COVID. The Alabama plant has since reopened.
 
MasterBrand produces kitchen and bath cabinetry under the brands Homecrest Cabinetry, StarMark, Cabinetry by Diamond, Schrock Cabinets, Artistokraft Cabinetry, Kemper Distinctive Cabinetry, Kitchencraft Cabinetry, Cabinetry by Decora and Omega Cabinetry.

 

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Robert Dalheim

Robert Dalheim is an editor at the Woodworking Network. Along with publishing online news articles, he writes feature stories for the FDMC print publication. He can be reached at [email protected].