About 160 workers at the Purolator plant in Johnston County found out this week that they will lose their jobs in November when the plant closes.

"It's unfortunate," said Dave Lindsay, vice president and chief administrative officer of Clarcor Air Filtration Products, the Franklin, Tenn., company that owns the plant in Kenly. "They are a good group of people. They've worked hard and have done what they have been asked to do. This is simply a business decision to better serve our customers."

Purolator makes the air filters that are used in the heating and air conditioning systems of homes and commercial buildings.

Lindsay said the Kenly closing is the first step in a $22 million restructuring program to improve operating efficiency.

Clarcor plans to move the production from the Kenly facility to various other plants to be closer to its customers, which Lindsay declined to name.

"Customers move," Lindsay said. "And you get to a point that some locations aren't strategically located to get the product to customers as fast as needed."

The company also has operations in Henderson and about 80 other sites. Lindsay wouldn't comment on plans for those locations.

The closing is being felt hard in Kenly, said town manager Scott Shelton. With just 1,800 people in town, many have connections to those who work at the plant, which has been there for 20 years and is one of its two largest employers. The other, Conestoga Wood Specialties, makes wood cabinetry doors and employs about 150.

"It's a real shame," Shelton said. "I heard there were a number of couples who both work at the plant, which makes it even harder."

All the Purolator workers will get outplacement help and severance pay, Lindsay said.

Shelton said local officials will try to help the workers find new jobs, but it might be hard for them to find work with comparable wages. Many of the jobs available in the town are in the service industry.

Lindsay would not say what the Purolator jobs paid, but in Johnston County, the average wage for production workers is $13.58 per hour, according to the Bureau of Labor Statistics. Service jobs often pay less. For example, Johnston County averages $7.64 per hour for food-preparer and serving-related jobs.

This is the county's second major job loss in less than two months. In July, Eaton Corp. said it would close its Selma electrical products facility in early 2007, ending jobs for 200 full-time and part-time workers.