More Workers Laid Off at & Roxboro Auto Supplier Plant &

Collins & Aikman, a supplier of automobile cloth, flooring and instrument panels to the big three automakers, and their competitors, Honda, Nissan and Toyota, has laid off at least 65 workers as they continue to cut back in response to downsizing by the U.S. car and truck manufacturing industry.

According to David Youngman, vice president for communications, about 125 employees have ceased reporting to the Roxboro plant since it declared insolvency in May 2004. The recent layoffs are due to adjustments in customer workloads and a reflection of business conditions. The plant now employs about 600 people. 

The Troy, MI-based company expects to emerge from bankruptcy in September, and is following through with its financial restructuring and cost savings plans. The big three are Collins & Aikman's biggest customers, and they are struggling to remain solvent while Ford and DaimlerChrysler are planning to eliminate thousands of jobs to stop their own financial losses.