Nylon fiber maker Invista has firmed up plans to slash a significant part of its Chattanooga plant production. The nylon 6,6 polymer made at the Chattanooga factory is used in apparel and automotive air bags. This move is expected to eventually lead to a significant cut in its 300-person workforce, it is gathered. The Koch Industries division that bought DuPont's Access Road plant in 2004 is totally stopping production of nylon 6,6 polymer in Chattanooga and shifting the work to two other facilities in South Carolina and Canada, according to Invista.

The company has made this announcement to ensure employees, contractors, site tenant companies and customers have as much time as possible to plan for the future. Since the move is a multi-phase restructuring process, it's premature to know as to how many employees would be impacted and when, officials of the company said.

The company anticipates an ongoing need for "a consistent workforce" into 2017. They'll assist with the transfer of production in addition to completing steps to safely secure the nylon 6,6 polymer assets not needed in the future, the company said. One thing that is noticeable is that other products are made by the company in Chattanooga though the plans for these functions are unclear.

Just three years ago, Invista made one of the biggest investments ever in the plant that spans more than six decades in the city to help the company penetrate the growing automotive parts market. The Invista decision is due to impact Kordsa Global, a company that's a tenant in the plant and on its own employs about 200 people.

Late last year, DuPont announced that it was closing the last of its operations at the plant. About 40 workers including 26 employees and 14 contractors lost their jobs at the end of last year.