BETHEL, Vt. (AP) – The Vermont Castings stove assembly plant shut down on Monday and will stay closed through the end of next month.

Company officials are hopeful the slowdown will be only temporary for the 71 Vermont Castings employees in Bethel who enamel and assemble stoves that were cast at the company’s Randolph foundry because of increased demand for wood burning heating units.

About 30 workers on the second shift of the Randolph foundry were laid off Nov. 1, said plant manager Dale Trombley.

The company had considered closing the foundry for two weeks in March, but recently enough work has been found to keep it running for one week of the planned shutdown. During that week the plant will make cast iron skillets.

“Right now I’m in the process of getting work in to cover the remaining week,” Trombley said.

Some of the Randolph foundry workers who lost their jobs in November were given jobs at the Bethel plant, while some have retired or found other jobs, Trombley said.

The two operations together employ 207 people.