Business & Economic News

Shaw adding third shift, 30 jobs

Ryan Hanchett news@thefranklinpress.com

November 9, 2017

Shaw Industries is getting ready for a major increase in workload, and in order to accommodate the demand for flooring products, the company will add roughly 30 jobs at its Franklin facility over the next two months.
The plan is to have a third shift up and running on Jan. 1, 2018.

“Shaw has a facility in Virginia that is having its operations transferred to other Shaw locations and we are one of the locations that is being tasked with increased production,” Shaw Industries Human Resources Manager Ashley Hyder said. “We are going to add roughly 100,000 square feet of flooring per week to what we already produce, and to do that we will need to run three full shifts.”

Shaw has operated two shifts since January 2015 when the facility scaled back operations by roughly 25 positions.
“When Shaw purchased this site they added a lot of technology and a lot of automation,” Hyder said. “And based on the market at the time, we were filling our warehouses with flooring to a point where we were overproducing products. We had to take some time, step back and make sure that our staff was the right size for our production needs.”

Hyder stressed that the jobs being added in Franklin will be full time, year round positions. The jobs will range from entry-level labor positions to a managerial shift supervisor. Each of the jobs will come with both health insurance and retirement benefits.

Most of the new positions will be on third shift (11 p.m. to 7 a.m.) but there may also be a few openings on both first (7 a.m. to 3 p.m.) and second shift (3-11 p.m.).

“Entry positions will start at $11.51 per hour and go up from there with the shift supervisor position being an approximately $20 per hour position,” Hyder said. “Shaw is so much more than what people see when they drive by. It’s not just a sawmill and a lumber yard – we have engineers, equipment operators and all kinds of skilled and professional people who work here.”

Finding at least 30 new employees over the next six weeks is going to present a challenge. Shaw officials have been working with the N.C. Works Career Center staff and the Economic Development Commission to get the word out about the company’s search for employees.

Shaw will host an on-site hiring event at the facility on Hardwood Drive (off Depot Street) in Franklin from 2-7 p.m. on Thursday, Nov. 16.

“We will have representatives here to help potential employees submit applications and there will be interviews conducted that day,” Hyder said. “There will be food and refreshments and the goal is to show potential associates all that Shaw can offer.”

Macon County EDC Director Tommy Jenkins, who stressed the quality of the positions along with the quantity, welcomed the news of Shaw’s expansion. Shaw is among the county’s largest employers in the manufacturing sector with approximately 125 employees, according to 2016 N.C. Department of Commerce statistics.

“When you look at Shaw’s plans, their growth is something that we are very excited about,” Jenkins said. “We appreciate Shaw as one of our strategic economic development partners and we recognize that their efforts to expand operations and add employees is good for our local economy.”

Anyone who is unable to attend the hiring event in Franklin on Nov. 16 can apply online at www.shawfloors.jobs or call 828-349-7026 for more information.