AUBURN – One of the area’s largest manufacturers has laid off about 16 percent of its work force.

Pioneer Plastics employs about 300 people. On Thursday, 48 workers learned their jobs had been cut. Friday was their last day.

The company makes laminates for bowling lanes, countertops and other items. Its business is largely tied to the housing industry.

“And I think everybody’s aware of what’s happened with the housing industry in the last little bit,” plant manager Jeff Marquis said Friday.

It was the first nonseasonal layoff for the company in about two years, Marquis said. There were no plans for a second round of layoffs.

“We certainly hope this is it,” Marquis said.

Although Pioneer Plastics isn’t the largest employer in the area – the hospitals and cities employ thousands – it is one of the largest manufacturers. Mary LaFontaine, manager of the Lewiston Career Center, called the layoff of 16 percent of the company’s workforce “significant.”

Members of the Maine Department of Labor’s rapid response team will work with laid-off workers to help them file for unemployment and train for new jobs.

Pioneer Plastics has been in business for nearly four decades. Panolam Industries International, a Connecticut-based company, bought the business in 1999.