There were major changes in the makeup of the FDMC 300 last year.

Significantly, major consolidations continue among the largest cabinet manufacturers. And there were 11 companies listed last year that are not included in the FDMC 300, along with other companies added and a few name changes. In 2019, we identified eight companies in the group of 300 that went out of business or closed, a higher than average number.

Several other companies consolidated, and a few of these changes happened late in the year and both companies involved are listed in the 2019 edition.

In 2019, sales for the FDMC 300 group of companies grew 4.5 percent, to reach $57.171 billion.

The FDMC 300 is a group of the 300 largest cabinet, furniture, millwork, store fixture, office/contract and component producers in North America. This summary of wood manufacturing firms' sales performance is published annually by FDMC magazine.

--One of the biggest news stories came in May with the sudden closure of Wood-Mode in Kreamer, Pennsylvania. The closure affected more than 900 employees. The company was one of the nation’s oldest and most well-known cabinet manufacturers. Wood-Mode was purchased by Bill French and reopened, with 235 employees on its payroll in the fall.

--In early 2020, ACPI completed its acquisition of Masco's cabinetry division, and formed Cabinetworks. Earlier, Masco entered into an agreement to sell its cabinetry division, which includes the KraftMaid, Merillat, QualityCabinets, and Cardell Cabinetry brands, to ACProducts Inc. ACPI’s divisions include the wholly-owned subsidiary Master WoodCraft Cabinetry, Smart Cabinetry, Cabinets 2000, and acpi. Earlier, Elkay Wood Products cabinetry division and Master WoodCraft Cabinetry were purchased by ACProducts and are included in ACPI’s FDMC 300 listing for 2019.

-- Ikea announced it will close its Danville, Virginia, operation at the end of the year, eliminating about 300 jobs in the United States. High costs for raw materials were cited for the closure, which was announced in July. Ikea had been making shelves and living room storage units there, but determined it could produce them in Europe at a lower cost and ship them to North America. The 930,000 square foot Ikea Industry Danville plant opened in Southside Virginia in 2008 and was the only production center in North America.

The 930,000 square foot Ikea Industry Danville plant was the company’s only production center in North America.

--Also in Virginia, Custom Wood Products, a maker of custom kitchen cabinets and bath vanities, and outdoor cabinets, reportedly closed and filed for bankruptcy under Chapter 7 (liquidation). An auction of equipment was announced in June for the Roanoke company, also known as Sugarloaf Cabinet Group.

--Amstore, a manufacturer of store fixtures, reportedly closed in May, according to the Grand Rapids Business Journal. The company’s history went back more than a century. Citing a challenging retail climate, the closing of the custom-built store environments company left more than 100 people out of work.

--Citing recent trade tariffs and a slow retail fixtures market, Fleetwood Acquisition Corp., the parent company of Fleetwood Fixtures and High Country Millwork, filed for Chapter 11 bankruptcy in November. Revenue was reported to have declined by 50 percent from 2018 to 2019. The company intends to streamline operations and emerge from bankruptcy as a profitable enterprise. We listed Fleetwood in the FDMC 300 once again in 2019.

--Nations Cabinetry replaced B.J. Tidwell in San Antonio. Nations had more than 500 employees last year and reported $58 million in sales.

--VT Industries Inc. earlier announced it acquired Eggers Industries, a national door and millwork manufacturer based in Wisconsin. Eggers was listed separately a year ago, but is part of the VT listing in the 2019 FDMC 300.

--Woodmont Cabinetry acquired Grandview Products two years ago, and we have continued to list Grandview in Parsons, Kansas. For 2019, we are also listing Woodmont, based in Dallas, as a separate operation in the FDMC 300.

--Archon Woodworks, custom cabinet and wood product manufacturer, unexpectedly closed in Minnesota, leaving up to 60 employees out of a job. Archon was formed in 1983 as Hoffco Inc. The roof at the company's Indiana facility reportedly caved in from heavy snowfall in mid-February, halting production, ultimately forcing a shutdown in mid-March.