Computer issue halts production at Wood-Mode LLC
Jan. 13—KREAMER — About 500 hourly Wood-Mode LLC workers are temporarily out of work due to a computer problem that has halted production.
The problem was detected at 1 a.m. Tuesday by the Kreamer company's network monitoring system, General Manager Rod Hunter said.
He would not confirm the specific issue but said the company is "investigating to determine the nature and extent of the issue. We are monitoring our computer systems and working to investigate this matter fully. During this time all operations are delayed ... while we restore our systems" with the aid of internal IT and outside resources.
The computer issue has impacted the cabinet manufacturing business "factory-wide," Hunter said.
He could not say how long the shutdown is expected to last.
Employees were notified that while the issue is temporary, they were advised to file for unemployment.
"It's similar to our COVID experience when we were shut down. Shipments will be delayed until we resume operations," said Hunter.
Wood-Mode LLC was established in August 2019 by Snyder County businessman Bill French who bought the assets of the failed Wood-Mode Inc. following its collapse after seven decades a few months earlier.
French rebuilt the company quickly, rehiring hundreds of former Wood-Mode Inc. employees to continue production of high-end cabinetry.
During last summer's three-year anniversary company celebration, then-manufacturing manager Robert Gessner said French had made "significant investments" in the business, including new machinery, ordering systems and the installation of a 2.5-megawatt solar field on 16 acres off Route 522 near the plant which is now underway.
