AUBURN – Plummeting automobile sales nationwide have hit home.

Formed Fiber Technologies Inc., which manufactures automotive trunk carpets and liners, has laid off 152 workers.

That’s 50 percent of the work force, CEO Mark Bennett said Thursday.

The number of layoffs is actually higher because “we have laid off every person for at least one week each quarter, including me,” Bennett said.

The night shift has been eliminated, except for a skeleton crew. No one is getting a raise, and the company no longer matches workers’ 401(k) retirement fund contributions.

“Everybody’s feeling the pain,” Bennett said. “We’re trying to protect the business long-term so people have jobs to come back to. Every company is trying to figure out ways to survive.”

Layoffs began in December and have been ongoing, he said. If car sales rebound, the need for trunk liners will rebound, and workers will be called back. But when that will happen, “nobody knows,” Bennett said.

Which workers were let go was determined by seniority: last in, first out, Bennett said.

At the end of 2008, Formed Fiber underwent a financial restructuring, which involved lowering its debt to improve long-term viability. That saw investors put more money into the company.

It knew automobile sales would be bad in the first quarter of 2009 and tried to prepare for it. Sales proved even worse than expected, Bennett said.

“Our sales are off 47 percent in February,” Bennett said. “The industry predicted auto sales of 12.5 million; they’re selling at a pace of about 8 million. They’re projecting sales down 25 percent for this year.”

Even Toyota, which for years had seen robust sales, has been affected by sluggish sales. It is Formed Fiber’s biggest customer, Bennett said.

Toyota is producing fewer vehicles than it’s selling, trying to correct to meet the slowed demand from consumers.

“Mid-year, they may begin producing more, but not anywhere near what they did in the past,” Bennett said. “We’re hoping sales are going to rebound, but nobody knows when that’s going to happen.”

Many of the laid-off Formed Fiber workers have been to the CareerCenter in Lewiston looking for work.

The layoff is “a huge number” for this area, said CareerCenter Manager Mary LaFontaine. “It’s similar to the numbers of job losses we’re seeing at paper mills.”

On Feb. 26 and 27, the CareerCenter held four orientation sessions exclusively for laid-off Formed Fiber workers.

LaFontaine spoke to two, who were wondering what they would do next. Since then, one has had two job interviews.

“Despite all the gloom and doom, there are jobs out there,” she said. “We had a job fair here last week. We had 14 employers on site with 300 jobs open.”

Another job fair will be held April 2 at Central Maine Community College in Auburn. “We have 40 businesses signed up for that.”

Laid-off workers react in different ways, LaFontaine said. Some hold out hope the company will call them back. Others begin looking for work elsewhere or consider self-employment. Still others undergo re-training.

People who lose their jobs, especially those who have held the same job for 10 or more years, go through the mourning stages of shock, denial, anger, depression, acceptance and hope, LaFontaine said.

“Losing a job is a huge loss.”