By Alan Wolf, YSN
At least three furniture manufacturers, including Stanley Furniture, Hancock & Moore and Wesley Hall, were forced to temporarily suspend some or all operations due to COVID-related disruptions.
According to a report in Home News Now, case goods producer Stanley indefinitely halted all U.S. production last week due to raw materials shortages, shipping delays, prohibitive ocean freight rates and labor uncertainty. In an email obtained by the industry news outlet, the company said it expects product from its Vietnam factories to begin shipping on a more consistent basis starting in late May. But in the meantime, U.S. operations will remain suspended “until production flow stabilizes, and the economics of our business becomes more predictable.”
Elsewhere, premium upholstery producer Hancock & Moore furloughed more than 100 employees last week while the company waited on deliveries of foam. “We made the decision to shut down our upholstery plant to let our suppliers catch up,” operations VP James Kennedy told Home News Now. Suppliers had been filling 90 percent of the manufacturer’s orders until February’s deep freeze froze foam production and the company’s allocations were cut to 50 percent or less, he said. Full production was expected to resume today.
Similarly, high-end upholstery manufacturer Wesley Hall halted all production last week amid a foam and cushion shortfall and plans to operate on a reduced schedule for the next 14 days, according to industry reports.
Hat tip to Home News Now.
