STANLEY, NC — Cabinetry hardware firm Blum Inc. said rapid popularity of its Compact Blumotion soft-close hinge has led it to add two manufacturing lines at its Stanley plant.

Expected to be operational by January 2012, the new lines will be dedicated to the production of the Blumotion hinges. The 1/2-inch and 1.25-inch overlay hinges were announced in May and began shipping to distributors in October. Blum said the new lines will allow it to closely control inventories and handle a surge in demand.

Back in March 2011, Blum announced plans to invest $18.5 million dollars over the next two years in equipment upgrades and facility expansion at its plant.  According to CEO and President Karl Ruedisser, the majority of the investment will be in assembly equipment for its new line of concealed hinges. Ruedisser added that the investment also will create at least eight new full-time positions over the next two years.

Blum of Hoechst, Austria, opened its first North American office in Hickory, NC, in 1977 and two years later moved its operations to Stanley. Today, the company operates out of a 450,000-square-foot building  located on 70 acres. It includes administration, manufacturing and distribution facilities, a high-rise product storage building with automated retrieval, a low-bay warehouse for customer order staging, a state-of-the-art cabinet shop, and a samples preparation area.

The Blum expansion is another example of wood manufacturing industry investments in the United States.