Whittier shifts production to Vietnam
Will continue to use Northwest alder
Thomas Russell -- Furniture Today, September 1, 2006
EUGENE, Ore. — Unfinished furniture manufacturer Whittier Wood Products has purchased a 150,000-square foot factory in Vietnam to produce its alder furniture line starting early next year.
“We are excited and optimistic about the opportunities this new facility will give us to compete globally,” said company President Scott Whittier. “It will be our machinery, our equipment and personnel and the beautiful Pacific Northwest alder hardwood for which we are known. Owning and managing our own facility, we can insure quality and delivery.”
Whittier makes unfinished wood furniture including chairs, tables, bookcases, barstools and entertainment centers.
The Eugene Register-Guard newspaper reported that the company will lay off 100 workers at its Oregon plant. In a statement, Whittier said it will keep its headquarters and a warehouse in Eugene, stocking imported lines including Chaparral pine, JG International parawood and Garden Wood Furniture.
Whittier told the newspaper the company is opening the Vietnam plant to help halt a drop in the company’s sales, which the paper said have fallen to $28 million this year from $50 million in 2005.
