Company officials at Lydall Inc. say sales have declined rapidly, and as a result, layoffs will occur sooner than expected at the company’s Saint Johnsbury, Vermont location.

Lydall is consolidating its operations at its Hamptonville, North Carolina plant.  The move means that the Saint Johnsbury location will lose more than 200 people.  The layoffs were initially scheduled for late in 2009, but it now looks as if half the plant will be laid off in April.  The rest will be laid off in the summer with the plant closing officially at the end of September. A dozen employees were laid off in January and February.

Lydall, Inc. designs and produces specialty-engineered products that withstand heat, reduce noise, and act as filters for a variety of industrial applications. The bulk of Lydall’s business is derived from the automotive industry, for which the company makes heat shields, thermal and acoustical barriers, and insulation products. The company’s two largest customers are automobile manufacturers DaimlerChrysler AG and Ford Motor Company.

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