Scalamandré moving to S.C.
By Susan M. Andrews -- Furniture Today, March 21, 2004
GAFFNEY, S.C. — GAFFNEY, S.C.— Determined to preserve U.S. jobs, Scalamandré, a producer of high-end textiles and other home furnishings, is relocating its weaving, dyeing and finishing operations from New York to a plant here, and plans to ramp up business with domestic furniture makers.
Mark Bitter, CEO and co-president, said the company's survival "could not have been guaranteed given the high cost of manufacturing in Long Island City. This move will enable us to produce three times more product at 40% less cost without compromising on quality or attention to detail."
When the move is completed and the plant here is operational — expected this summer — product for furniture manufacturers will range from $15 to $400 a yard.
Scalamandré, known for its luxury textiles, wall coverings, trims and upholstered furniture sold primarily to the interior design trade, traditionally has sourced about 75% of its collections from abroad and manufactured domestically about 25%. Bitter said the plan is to flip-flop those numbers in about a year.
The plant initially will employ about 40 workers in an existing 115,000-square-foot facility and will scale up to an eventual workforce of about 100.
The increased capacity will allow for additional product categories, such as a performance fabric line called Island Cloth. Bitter said the initial collection, for outdoor and indoor applications, includes about 150 printed and woven patterns of solution-dyed acrylic. About 100 more SKUs will be added for the next round of introductions, he said.
"We believe this will be the highest growth segment of our line," he said, "because it offers performance in fabrics styled for people who want exceptional design. Color is everything for us, and we have found fiber producers who can provide our colorations, which tend to be brilliant and jewel toned."
The company will continue to focus on its luxury niche, Bitter said, because "there is a core competency here in the United States for this and a heritage that goes back hundreds of years. U.S. producers are just as competent as European producers in the production of these extraordinarily high-end goods.
"The European mills are often state-subsidized and have tariffs in place to protect them from Chinese imports, for example, but we have operational costs that are significantly lower.
"We'll take about six months to set up (the new plant), another six months getting our feet wet, and by this time next year I expect we'll have a good presence at the furniture market," Bitter said. "We believe furniture manufacturers will respect the fact that we are preserving U.S. jobs and will want to be a part of what we're doing."
Bitter said the increase in capacity and a 40% cost reduction will make Scalamandré product more accessible to furniture makers. He and his brother Robert, co-president, took over the company from their parents several years ago.
The company has sold its historic building in Long Island City, although its custom divisions, including hand-made trim, skein dyeing, archival and studio facilities, will be consolidated in a smaller space within the building.
"We're keeping the custom line close to home," Bitter said, "because it facilitates the communication between us and the interior designers."
He left open the possibility that other functions, including trim production, could someday be shifted to South Carolina.
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