CAPE GIRARDEAU, Mo. - Havco Wood Products, a manufacturer of oak hardwood flooring for trailers, truck bodies, and containers, will lay off between 40 and 50 workers over the next two weeks. It currently employs around 500 workers in total.

 

Lower demand for trailers forced its hand, the company said.

 

“The manufacturing of trailers has slowed in the first few months of 2020," said plant manager Doug Dieleman. "The number of trailers manufactured in 2020 is expected to be 30 percent less than in 2019. Havco is a supplier to the trailer manufacturing industry and this slowdown is having a material impact on Havco’s order level and backlog. The reduction we are announcing today is necessary to adjust our labor force accordingly and will take place in the coming weeks.”

 

Along with the 380,000-square-foot facility in Missouri, Havco runs a 430,000-square-foot plant in Tennessee. All of its flooring products are made from oak. The company is a member of the National Hardwood Lumber Association and Appalachian Hardwood Manufacturers Inc.