Company also focuses on speed, delivery
Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, January 15, 2006
Hickory, N.C. — As they pursue a customization strategy, Century Furniture officials say that delivery is an equally important part of the equation.
So as it has shifted toward smaller cuttings and the use of many different finishes, it also has striven to turn orders around faster.
Today, more than 80% of the company's configurable case goods are shipped in an average of three weeks from the time of order, according to Eric Schenk, chief operating officer. It expects to achieve 100% by March.
Case goods that come out of inventory are shipped in eight days or less.
In upholstery, the turnaround also is two to three weeks if the fabric is in stock. The company doesn't inventory upholstery, so order time only applies to special order merchandise.
Several years ago, the turnaround was more like four weeks, Schenk said.
He said the improvements on the upholstery side stem largely from moves to have raw materials and components delivered daily rather than weekly. That eliminates wait times between various operations in production.
"Our cushion vendors deliver to us daily," Schenk said. "They are the ones who have really made it work for us."
He said the speedy construction and delivery will set Century apart.
"We think that is an advantage," he said. "That is something they are not doing in China."
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