(ABC 6 News) – 36 people in Charles City will soon be without a job, as one of the state’s largest manufacturers moves its factory.

Winnebago Industries, Inc. will close its Charles City plant on September 1.

“It did not surprise me any because who can afford to buy a camper? And I’m surprised it did not happen sooner and I’m surprised more people aren’t laying off,” said Charles City resident Stacy Babcock.

The Charles City Area Development Corporation will work with Winnebago Industries to determine whether it wishes to repurpose or sell the facility.

“It’s obviously disheartening anytime you have a plant closure, you’re disrupting a lot of lives, but we feel the manufacturing sector is strong enough in Charles city that we will be able to assimilate those workers into the labor force,” said Tim Fox, CEO of the Charles City Area Development Corporation.

In response to the closure, Winnebago Industries, Inc. Communications Director Daniel Sullivan provided the following statement:

“Winnebago is always looking to better optimize its businesses and functions. As part of our effort to continue to build the highest quality and most innovative Class B products, we are creating a manufacturing center of excellence in our Lake Mills facility which will now be responsible for building some of our most iconic brands like Revel, Travato, Solis and Roam. As a result, we have made the difficult decision to move the manufacturing of Class B products from our Charles City Assembly facility to Lake Mills.

“Approximately 36 positions at the Charles City Assembly facility will be eliminated. We will continue to have a presence in Charles City as our Hardwoods facility is unimpacted by this adjustment. Where possible, we are offering teammates roles within the Lake Mills facility and are assisting other affected team members during this period of transition in alignment with our strong values.

“We are proud of our strong legacy and roots in Northern Iowa and continue to build RVs with unsurpassed quality.”