Fire-damaged American Furniture to reopen
Expects to resume manufacturing in two weeks
Gary Evans -- Furniture Today, February 14, 2008
ECRU, Miss. — Promotional upholstery maker American Furniture expects to resume manufacturing operations in two weeks, after a fire Tuesday that destroyed much of its production facility.
President Lyle Harris said Wednesday that officials of company were in the process of finding additional manufacturing space. “Fortunately, there’s quite a bit of it,” said Harris, adding, “More fortunately for us is that there was no loss of people (in the fire).”
Fire swept through the center of the company’s 1.2-million-square-foot facility at about 5:30 p.m. Tuesday, destroying a major portion of the building where stationary upholstery was made.
Harris said the company’s motion and reclining chair facility “is intact and not damaged” and that raw materials are housed off-site, “which is a real blessing. So what we lost was work in progress in stationary and most of our stationary finished goods that were in our warehouse.”
He said motion and recliner operations could resume as soon as American “gets the green light” from state and local officials.
Harris said the company’s orders have been strong and that it was planning to schedule work this Saturday and for the next two or three Saturdays. Promotional manufacturers usually stockpile inventory this time of year in anticipation of orders generated by tax refund purchases, but Harris said that because of its high order level, American wasn’t building inventory.
“The message I’d most like to get across to our customers is that we’re going to be back and we’re committed more than ever to regaining the business and the lost opportunity this fire has presented us,” he said.
He said customers with questions can call the factory at (662) 489-2633.
The cause of the fire has not been determined. An estimate of damages also was unavailable.
Harris said the company’s computer equipments and vital records remain intact. “We know what’s on order. We know who ordered what. Invoices are intact. The computers are already up and running.”
He said the company’s owners, Connecticut-based Compass Diversified Holdings, were on the scene Wednesday “and they’ve been incredibly supportive. Whatever we need to get up and running, they’re going to make sure that we’re back in business in the quickest order.”
Harris said that V.M. Cleveland and Bill Cleveland, chairman and president, respectively, of the Tupelo Furniture Market, also have offered their assistance. “The outpouring has been totally positive and we’ve been overwhelmed by it,” he said.
American plans to show as planned at next week’s Tupelo market, which opens Wednesday.
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