LIBERTY – The UltraCraft Cabinetry plant, a division of Norcraft Companies, in Liberty is closing in 2025, with layoffs scheduled to begin in May.
There are 200 people employed at the facility at 6163 Old 421 Road.
“It’s definitely a sad thing,” said Amanda Price, executive director of the Liberty Chamber of Commerce. “They’ve been around awhile and a good Chamber member.”
Layoffs are to commence in the spring and be completed by September, based on a notice to the North Carolina Department of Commerce.
The site has operated under UltraCraft Cabinetry, a subsidiary of Norcraft Companies. Cabinets have been built at the location since 1986.
Parent company MasterBrand Cabinets, which is based in Ohio, is closing the Liberty and Statesville plants in North Carolina. There’s also a plant in Kinston, where operations will continue in an expanded format.
“This was not only an announcement related to the Statesville facility, but this also relates to one of our legacy facilities at Liberty.” Farand Pawlak, vice president of investor relations and corporate communications for Norcraft Companies, said.
The Statesville plant, Dura Supreme Cabinetry, will cease operations next month with 74 employees to be laid off.
The Liberty plant covers 213,000 square feet. Price said the plant was among the top half-dozen employers in Liberty despite what might have been some downsizing through the years.
“They’ve been good to us,” Price said. “They are involved in our community, kind of a staple of the community.”
MasterBrand Cabinets purchase Norcraft Companies (along with its brands Mid Continent, UltraCraft, Starmark and Fieldstone) in 2015.
The production in North Carolina will funnel to the Kinston site, where the plant has enough room to accommodate an increase in operations.
The Kinston location began a significant expansion project in 2021, the company said. The plan for that location included adding 450 jobs across a five-year period. There were reports that MasterBrand invested about $14 million in the Kinston expansion.
Company officials said employees have options to apply to other MasterBrand Cabinets locations. The company said there have been “provisions to make the transition to other employment as smooth as possible for affected employees.” If they’re hired, they will receive relocation assistance.
