Alive, well, and moving to build the business
Ray Allegrezza, Editor in chief -- Furniture Today, March 24, 2002
Don Coleman is a man with both a mission and a message. The president of supplier Hickory Springs Mfg. is spreading the word that, despite the rash of layoffs and closings of domestic furniture manufacturing facilities, certain sectors of the industry are not merely alive but alive and well.
Coleman thinks the press, both consumer and trade, may be overly zealous in focusing on industry doom-and-gloom stories. "I don't feel the news media has painted an accurate portrait of the furniture manufacturing industry," he said. "There are companies which are continuing to perform well, despite the economic downturn."
He says Hickory Springs saw encouraging growth throughout much of 2001 despite the well-publicized travails of many traditional manufacturing industries.
"Our companies are thriving and moving forward despite these very unsettled economic times, even in the heart of the areas hit hardest by the slump in the manufacturing economy," Coleman said. "We have about 30 operations in North Carolina, with more than 10 in Catawba County, and we haven't experienced a major layoff in any of our facilities."
He says Hickory Springs began experiencing economic relief at a time when many others in the manufacturing sector were being hit hardest. "We first began seeing a measured and encouraging pickup in our business as early as July of last year," he said. "That trend was cut short by the events of Sept. 11, but despite that setback, we continued to improve all the way through December."
Rather than putting the company in a holding pattern, Coleman said Hickory Springs' management decided to continue to diversify and improve. In October 2001, Hickory Springs became the first foam maker to achieve ISO 9000 certification for upholstered furniture and bedding foam. At the same time, it began development of a major enterprise resource planning system designed to link its 60 locations nationwide.
The new system will allow Hickory Springs to access, analyze and manage critical data more efficiently, while enabling it to respond more effectively to its customer base.
Although he agrees with economists' projections that a full economic turnaround may take quite some time to materialize, Coleman remains optimistic about his company's and the industry's performance in the next year.
He believes the same measures that have kept Hickory Springs' business viable despite the economy will continue to influence its success in the coming months. "As an industry, we need to see that there is hope and that we can succeed in the face of a challenging economy," he said.
I agree with Don.
But to his credit, Coleman is doing more than just saying the right things. He is making an ongoing investment in the tools he feels will allow his company to build the business regardless of the economic climate.
And by virtue of this column, Don, I hope you'll agree the press is not just on the prowl for bad news.
Opinion columns are available online at www.furnituretoday.com.
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