LUXURY coach company closing Pryor plant

<br>PRYOR, Okla. (AP) _ Featherlite Inc. plans to close its luxury coach manufacturing plant in Pryor in August, cutting 90 local jobs, the company announced Wednesday. <br><br>Featherlite, based in Cresco,

Wednesday, June 20th 2001, 12:00 am

By: News On 6

PRYOR, Okla. (AP) _ Featherlite Inc. plans to close its luxury coach manufacturing plant in Pryor in August, cutting 90 local jobs, the company announced Wednesday.

Featherlite, based in Cresco, Iowa, said it will permanently close the plant on Aug. 20 because of difficulties getting supplies from its only supplier of fiberglass and composite materials. The materials are used to build Featherlite's Vogue 6000LX line of luxury coaches, which are made in Pryor.

``Without the ability to manufacture and deliver a marketable product in a timely fashion, the company has sustained unacceptable losses in the Vogue segment,'' company president and chief executive Conrad Clement said.

The move will help the company focus on its core coach business and is expected to eliminate future losses in the luxury coach division.

The Pryor operation lost about $2.6 million through May 31. The decision will reduce Featherlite's second quarter net income by $2 million because of restructuring charges, the company said.

Pryor's sales and service operation will be combined with Featherlite facilities in Sanford, Fla.; Cresco, Iowa; Mocksville, N.C.; and Coburg, Ore.

The company's new sales and service facility in Statesville, N.C., will also assume some of the duties when it opens in the fall.

Featherlite said it will continue to service Vogue coaches and sell remaining inventory in all its company sales and service centers.