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Office Furniture

January 23, 2011 by · Comments Off on Office Furniture 

Office Furniture, Office furniture maker Steelcase plans to close three plants and eliminate 750 jobs, although the company’s revenues and profits are rising, reports Detroit News.
Judgement plant in Kentwood, Michigan, Grand Prairie, Texas, and Markham, Ontario, over the next 18 months would save about 35 million per year and for society, which had revenues of approximately $ 2.3 billion and 2010.

“We have more than enough space to meet our current needs but also future needs for growth,” spokeswoman Jeanine Holquist the company said. “To remain profitable, you need to continue to improvement and cost savings. “

Steelcase said in December he made a profit in the third quarter and 18.3 million, compared to a breakeven quarter a year earlier, and that its revenues increased 9% to 672, and 6 million.

It’s like a title ripped from 2008. Except this time, Steelcase is well and Wednesday’s announcement comes amid a recovery in the industry.

“I do not consider that it is an affront to western Michigan,” said the furniture industry analyst Michael Dunlap.

The industry is recovering from a decline in a decade. In 2000, the domestic industry has shipped more than $ 13 billion in sales. In 2009, the figures Shipping sank under and $ 8 billion.

But Dunlap said during last year’s sales climate as amended. Cons forecasts, Steelcase have recently published more than 18 million profits for its third fiscal quarter 2010.

“The furniture industry is doing quite well,” said Dunlap. “We have begun a recovery or a rebound in the spring of 2010.”

Dunlap said that Steelcase is done is to rationalize and is an essential element of the business’ ability to heal and to modernize to a market that demands lean manufacturing.

“This will help in the running to be more effective. It will really add to their bottom line,” said Dunlap. “These strategic decisions made by Steelcase that are consistent with many other manufacturing companies are on a continuous basis.”

Dunlap said to reduce shipping costs by jobs in southern Alabama and across the border into Mexico may be an unpopular decision, but it is necessary to keep the company profitable.

“This is a public relations challenge. No way,” Dunlap said. “When you have various facilities which are running at far less than the maximized if it makes sense to ship production to low-cost locations.”

Alfred Williams Co., office furniture une”’courtier which opened its first office in Raleigh, Fayetteville Street in 1867, is back in downtown.

The company has two factories in North America in Raleigh, bought a two-storey building on Salisbury Street that it intends to convert into a new showroom and corporate office for its approximately 50 employees.

“I always had an interest in returning to downtown,” said owner J. Blount Williams, the great great nephew of the founder of the company. “It is an ideal place for our employees work, and I think it’s a more dynamic place for our customers to visit and kind of brings us back into the fabric of the community. ”

Blount and 2.6 million paid last month for the property south of Salisbury and Davie streets. He plans to gut the building and replace its concrete facade with most tasteless drink.

The demolition work began, and Alfred Williams expects to move in late July.

The project will breathe life into a vacant building downtown and bring more workers, something the city is desperate for, especially in light of job losses that may result from the merger of Duke Energy of Charlotte and Progress Energy, which has a seat on Wilmington Street.

Alfred Williams will occupy 15,000 square meters on the second floor and renting a similar sized space on the ground floor. The rest of the building is for parking.

Alfred Williams will lease the building on the boulevard of the capital, which he has held since 1979. The company also owns a distribution center on Six Forks road.

Founded as a printing company and stationery, Alfred Williams branched book publishing, office supplies and machines.

Since Williams joined Blount in 1981, the company compared its activity down pour”vendre, office furniture, interior design and space planning.

The company exclusively represents Herman Miller and the new offices will have a manufacturer’s logo engraved on top of the range one of the windows.

Source: http://www.furnituretoday.com/article/534863-Steelcase_to_shut_down_three_office_furniture_plants.php

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