AUBURN — A federal grant of $316,458 has been awarded to assist workers affected by layoffs from Formed Fiber Technologies Inc. The money will provide employment-related services to the workers who lost their jobs as a result of increased competition from overseas.

The manufacturer of automotive trunk carpets and liners laid off 152 employees — about half its workforce — last March.

Members of Maine’s congressional delegation, Rep. Mike Michaud and Sens. Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins, made the announcement Tuesday. According to the U.S. Department of Labor, the National Emergency Grant is funded by resources made available under the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act. The grant will be awarded to the Maine Department of Labor and will be administered by the Central/Western Maine Workforce Investment Board.