Freudenberg Nonwovens Limited Partnership

In another blow to the manufacturing sector, German specialty textile maker Freudenberg Nonwovens is laying off 59 workers and shuttering some operations in Durham. Freudenberg's decision comes only three months after it laid off 51 employees in Durham. The company is getting slammed by economic forces that have battered key industries that rely on Freudenberg's products, primarily automotive and housing. The company's Spunlaid Division, which supplies the automotive and commercial carpet markets, will not be affected by the layoffs. Freudenberg will have about 160 workers after it closes a fiber plant, which makes fabric for facial wipes and window blinds, inner liners for automobiles and mattress liners.