The Dixie Group has leased the former Royalty Carpet Mills facility in Porterville.

The former Royalty Carpet Mills facility in Porterville that suddenly closed in June — leaving 140 employees jobless — is back in business.

The Dixie Group, a publicly traded carpet manufacturer in Georgia, announced it’s purchase of the yarn-making equipment at the facility and is also leasing the plant.

According to a July 14 news release, the facility should be up and running.

“The output from this yarn plant will allow The Dixie Group to better service our West Coast customers and provide yarn capacity for future growth,” according to the news release. “Production is expected to begin the week of July 31, 2017.”

The new owners have rehired 64 people to staff the plant, including former plant manager Dennis Johnson, reported the Porterville Recorder.

The plant’s closure came as a shock to the employees, customers and the community. Royalty Carpet Mills also closed facilities in Santa Ana and Irvine. There was also a reported deal for those facilities to be sold.

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Related story: Questions linger over snap closure of Porterville carpet mill