OXFORD — A Pennsylvania modular home facility is expected to pick up unfinished orders started at Keiser Industries after a fire last week has temporarily shut down production, a manager said Wednesday.
While employees at the Mechanic Falls Road plant resumed work Monday shipping completed homes to customers, a fire that destroyed a lean-to storing wood could prevent new orders from being processed for up to six weeks, according to Zane Sheaffer, general manager of Excel Homes of Maine.
“We’re doing that to accommodate business owners and get shipments out in a timely manner,” Sheaffer said.
Electricity was later disabled and part of the plant is still off-limits to workers until insurance adjusters and structural engineers complete an assessment and cleaners clear the damage.
The overall fiscal impact in terms of damage and lost productivity are still being assessed, Sheaffer said, adding that he hoped the plant would be back up much sooner than the six-week timeframe. The Oxford plant, which employees nearly 100 people, can produce approximately five two-story ranch-style homes per week.
Despite production grinding to a halt, the blip has not resulted in workers being laid off, he said.
Owned by Innovative Building Systems LLC, Keiser, Excel Homes and Innovative Design & Building Services brands are built out of the Oxford location, according to the parent company’s website. In addition to the Pennsylvania plant, the company operates in Virginia, Indiana and Iowa.
The 61,000-square-foot facility is operated by Keiser Real Estate LLC and assessed at $3.02 million by the town, according to tax records. It was purchased by Excel in 2009 for an undisclosed fee, according to Sun Journal archives.
IBS President Phil Hickman said he’d be “shocked” if the facility wasn’t up and running in two weeks. Sales staff are already working with customers to see if they can delay shipments or complete them at other facilities and ask for a higher shipping rate.
Little damage from last Friday’s blaze occurred inside the facility. Although manufactured homes in progress were untouched, Hickman said they’ll be scrapped over concerns of smoke damage.
State fire marshals have not determined a cause, though foul play is not suspected.
ccrosby@sunmediagroup.net
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