Corning Inc., a major materials science company, announced last week it is halting its operations at its distribution facility in Edgecombe County, according to the Triangle Business Journal.

Corning is handing off management of the 780K SF site in the Kingsboro Business Park, located off Highway 64 between Rocky Mount and Tarboro, to Florida-based transportation and logistics company Ryder, the company told TBJ.

In a document it filed with the state of North Carolina, Corning cited a strategic shift in business operations as its reason for leaving Edgecombe County.

Ryder will reportedly distribute products for Corning at the center, the company’s North America life sciences hub. The hub was built specifically for Corning’s operations, comprising 750K SF of warehouse space and 30K SF for offices.

With this move, Corning will lay off more than 120 workers, but they will be offered the chance to join Ryder.

Corning will maintain the lease for the facility, a spokesperson for the company said. Ryder will be responsible for all daily operations starting April 19.

In 2017, when Corning selected North Carolina for a two-county manufacturing expansion, the company committed an $86M investment in Edgecombe County. 

Corning will maintain its strong presence in other parts of the state, including a large facility with more than 1M SF of space in Wilmington at 310 N. College Road, as well as plants in Newton, Concord and Winston-Salem

In January, the company announced a $6B supply agreement with Meta to provide fiber-optic cable for data center development, which would require expanding its manufacturing facility in Hickory, north of Charlotte in Catawba County. When this project is complete, Corning will reportedly have the largest fiber-optic cable plant in the world.

Last year, Corning reported net sales of $15.6B, up 19% from the previous year.