Week's most viewed wood industry news includes: Expansions at Indiana Furniture (a 30,000 square foot addition), Norcraft Cabinet's UltraCraft (it added 40 jobs and a second shift to its finishing line) and Iron City Wood Products (a $900,000 investment) will build a new plant and add 14 employees.
Also highly viewed: Ethan Allen CEO Farooq Kathwari recaps the manufacturing transformation of this global furniture brand. Seven plants produce volume comparable to 30 plants the Danbury, CT, according to Kathwari. Speaking before an investor analyst group, he says more than 60 percent of furniture sold in China is produced at Ethan Allen's U.S. operations.
A video showing Whirlwind Tools table saw safety technology was the most viewed item this week:
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Video: Table Saw Safety Brake from Whirlwind Tools
By Bill Esler | Updated: 04/04/2012 9:22:00 AM
A former woodworker has received a patent on a flesh-sensing table saw safety braking system. David Butler says he has spent years developing the system intended to prevent serious injuries among table saw users.
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Fire Damages Southern Finishing's Martinsville Plant
By Karen Koenig | Updated: 04/05/2012 1:46:00 PM
No injuries have been reported from yesterday's fire at Southern Finishing Co.'s Church Street plant in Martinsville, VA. Read more
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IKEA Replaces Some Asian Suppliers With Italians
By Bill Esler | Updated: 04/11/2012 1:05:00 PM
IKEA is replacing Asian suppliers with Italian manufacturers for its Italy stores, reportedly because they can produce better quality goods less expensively. Read more
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Cabela's Supplier Mountain Woods Furniture Acquired
By Bill Esler | Updated: 04/10/2012 11:41:00 AM
Mountain Woods Furniture, Inc., a leading producer of American rustic furniture sold through Cabela's and other retailers, is acquired by a trucking industry businessman. Read more |
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UltraCraft Adds Cabinet Finishing Line, 2nd Shift
By Karen Koenig | Updated: 04/04/2012 11:09:00 AM
UltraCraft cabinetry, a division of Norcraft Cos., will add 40 workers and a second finishing shift at its Liberty, NC, facility.
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Wood Products Firm Calls for End to Tax Havens
By Bill Esler | Updated: 04/11/2012 9:51:00 AM
Joseph Rotella, owner of Spencer Organ Company, is carrying a high profile in a tax reform effort, appearing tomorrow on Capitol Hill to call for elimination of tax havens for large corporations.
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Stop Illegal Logging by Chasing 'Dirty Money': World Bank
By Rich Christianson | Updated: 04/07/2012 9:43:00 PM
WASHINGTON – The World Bank says the best way to curb illegal logging is to follow its illicit profits, capture the masterminds behind the activity and prosecute them. Read more
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Wood Industry Employment 5.2 Percent Lower Than A Year Ago
By Bill Esler | Updated: 04/09/2012 2:54:00 PM
Employment in select U.S. lumber and wood manufacturing industries was 5.2 percent lower in April 2012, 49,780, or 5.2 percent in April 2011, reports the Manufacturers' News. Read more
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Indiana Furniture Breaks Ground on 30,000 SF Addition
By Karen Koenig | Updated: 04/05/2012 11:23:00 AM
Indiana Furniture broke ground on a 30,000-square-foot addition to its office furniture manufacturing facility in Jasper, IN, investing more than $6 million in the expansion Read more
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Iron City Wood Products Plans $900,000 Expansion
By Rich Christianson | Updated: 04/07/2012 8:32:00 PM
Iron City Wood Products Inc., a manufacturer and refurbisher of wood, plastics and other types of pallets, said it will invest $900,000 to expand into a new facility in Youngstown, OH. Read more
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