KI closing Pontotoc factory, laying off 70 workers

PONTOTOC and TUPELO — Furniture maker KI will lay off 70 employees in north Mississippi as it closes one factory and converts a second to a warehouse.

The Northeast Mississippi Daily Journal reports the company, based in Green Bay, Wis., will close its Pontotoc factory by June 1. It will also convert its Tupelo factory to a distribution warehouse.

All 40 workers at the Pontotoc plant will lose their jobs. In Tupelo, 30 of 55 workers will be let go.

The company, which makes furniture for offices, hospitals and schools, said it would shift manufacturing from Pontotoc and Tupelo to its plant in Bonduel, Wis.

KI said it made the shift because of manufacturing capacity and product demand. The Pontotoc plant opened in 1999, while the Tupelo plant dates to 1964.