For the past twelve years, case goods manufacturer Standard Furniture has not been active in manufacturing promotional bedroom items. But that is set to change as the company recently announced that they will be getting back to the said market. The first step of the company in their comeback to the market is slated to take place next month.
Next month, Standard Furniture will be staring the production of eight suites. The manufacturer announced that these items will be manufactured in their manufacturing facility in Frisco City, Ala. The company is looking beyond the eight suites as it announced that eventually, the Frisco City manufacturing plant will be producing 15 suites. This means that Standard Furniture is intent in coming back with a big bang into the side of the market where they have been absent for more than a decade.
The company has already earmarked $4 million for the upgrading of the Frisco City facility. Said amount will be used to convert the said plant into a flow-for standardization facility. The company's move will turn the existing manufacturing plant into a more effective facility. The improvements on the said facility include more production mechanically which will greatly affect the quality of goods manufactured.
Today, Standard's lineup includes four-piece bedroom suites priced between $699 and $999. In the past, the company's lineup also included inexpensive items but according to Todd Evans, senior vice president of sales and marketing, those items have not reached the $399 mark in six years running.
That is about to change too as the Frisco City facility is set to manufacture items that will sell between $399 and $599. The said facility will produce the aforementioned items in 6,000 groups monthly. That is just the start as the facility can expand its production output to 10,000 groups every month.
Standard's showroom in Las Vegas already showcases two of the eight new lines. These are the youth collection named Sweet Dreams and the contemporary collection Avanti. The complete new lineup though will be unveiled at the Tupelo furniture market next month. The new lien will be marketed under the Frisco Mfg brand.
Billy Hodgson, Standard president and Chief Executive Officer had this to say according to Furniture Today: "As an international company, we learned that from a raw materials perspective, domestic producers could certainly compete globally. But where most domestic manufacturers often fell short was in the area of labor costs."
"Now, with the enhanced efficiencies we are realizing at our Frisco City plant, we are realizing a 30% reduction in labor costs," added Hodgson. He also pointed out that the steps they have taken with the Frisco City plant is just the continuation of lean manufacturing techniques which they have started four years ago.
"While we have dramatically increased our efficiencies, what we've done at the Frisco City plant is not so much lean manufacturing as it is a streamlining and standardizing of the product lines we are manufacturing there," said Hodgson. Owing to Standard Furniture's dedication to increasing the efficiency of their manufacturing plant, consumers can expect to see quality items from the manufacture which can complement fixtures such as ceiling lights.
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