The Wabash facility will close in October, according to Owens Corning

Wabash, Indiana – A manufacturer of fiberglass, roofing, and insulation products has informed Indiana officials in a letter that it will close its Wabash facility by the end of October.

There was no justification given for the closure of the Owens Corning Thermafiber manufacturing facility in the Worker Adjustment and Retraining Notification Act letter that a human resources representative issued to the state on Friday.

3711 Mill St. houses the plant and the shipping facilities. That is west of the 10,347-person Wabash County city, which is around two hours’ drive from central Indianapolis.

There will be a job loss of close to 90 individuals. According to the letter, “This is a non-unionized facility and all employees impacted by the closure do not have any bumping or transfer rights.”

In 1934, the business was established as American Rock Wool.

Since at least April, when economic development organization Grow Wabash County announced preparations for a May employment event to support Thermafiber employees who would lose their jobs due to a potential plant closure, the closure has been anticipated.

In June 2013, Thermafiber Inc. was purchased by Owens Corning. The factory produced insulation at the time using mineral wool, mineral foam, and fiberglass. In recent years, products have included insulation to save energy, manage noise, and lower greenhouse gas emissions, as well as fire blankets, fire blocks, and curtain walls to put out fires inside of structures.

Wabash Mayor Scott Long in April described the employees of Thermafiber as devoted. He said in the April statement, “While this is a stressful time for the community, work is already underway by the City in partnership with Grow Wabash County and our local manufacturing industry to ensure these displaced employees and their families are provided resources and information they need to withstand the challenges this closure presents.”

The Wabash City Council rejected an application by Owens Corning Thermafiber for a tax abatement in 2024 in July due to a discussion of the potential closure. When it acquired the facility, Owens Corning was granted a tax break by the city.