WOOD 100: Strategies for Success
How Wood Business Gets Done

The 2010 WOOD 100 is sponsored by
 

Stories suggesting a renaissance among wood manufacturing businesses have been reaching editors Karen Koenig, Rich Christianson and Michaelle Bradford over the past months. Some come from woodworking firms, others are passed along by suppliers who seem in awe of what their determined-to-succeed customers are doing.

This year we expand the WOOD 100, to celebrate both those who have grown, and those who have grown better. Acknowledging the travails of 2009, we list year-end results of publicly-traded woodworking firms — a sobering benchmark — from which improvement has already begun for 2010. Listed also are 2009’s fastest growing firms.

Preparing for Recovery
Ideas shared here can benefit you, whether you are a 15-employee shop, a 50-employee architectural millwork company, or among the multimillion- or multibillion-dollar cabinetry or casegoods manufacturers. All types of firms shared ideas:

• Architectural millworkers are adding materials handling and quality controls to rival firms in other industries.

• Casegoods giants are implementing production processes that cut waste and energy consumption, and meet environmental benchmarks.

• Cabinetry, millwork and furniture firms are coaxing financial support from local governments and the SBA to upgrade plants or relocate to state-of-the-art facilities.

• New product development and new go-to-market strategies are opening doors for woodworking business expansion.

• Firms are automating materials handling and installing enterprise resource planning.

 
     
 Marketing Initiatives
 Go-to Market Strategies
 Business Strategies A
     
 Business Strategies B
 Productivity Enhancemements
 Technology Integration
     
 Plant Expansions A
 Plant Expansions B
 Product Innovations A
     
 Product Innovations B
 Sustainable Operations A
 Sustainable Operations B
   
Quality Control
 
 Customer Service


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