Published: November 15, 2008 12:03 am         

Kinro to close Bristol plant, cut 143 jobs

Officials with RV and mobile home supplier Kinro Inc. have announced they will be laying off 143 workers at their Bristol plant and shifting several dozen other workers to their plant in Goshen.

Kinro manufactures windows and doors for recreational vehicles.

The announcement indicated the layoffs are expected to take place sometime in January, with the Bristol plant being mothballed until business improves.

Marvin Givens, vice president of operations for Kinro, indicated in a recent statement to Manufacturing & Technology eJournal that he is unsure how long the Bristol plant will remain closed.

“We don’t know how long it will be,” Givens said. “The RV and mobile home market that we serve is down, but we’re optimistic that it will come back one day and we’ll have that plant to go back to.”

Kinro currently has RV supply plants operating in Elkhart, Goshen, and Fontana, Calif. The company also maintains plants in Goshen and other areas of the country for its manufactured housing division.

Kinro is based in Arlington, Texas.