Thomasville Furniture Ceases Manufacturing In Thomasville

Thomasville, NC -- It's the end of an era: Thomasville Furniture will cease making furniture in the city. Furniture Brands International will close three plants in North Carolina, meaning 150 people will lose their jobs. Most of them work at a plant in Thomasville. Thomasville Furniture Industries' Plant C will close in July. It's the last Thomasville furniture manufacturing plant in Thomasville. Workers assemble purchased parts from overseas. One hundred people work there now, 200 people have been laid off from Plant C in the past. Now 90 people will be laid off to consolidate operations from Thomasville to Lenoir. Another ten workers will be transferred to other Thomasville Furniture facilities in town. About 12 administrative jobs will also be cut. Rick Millen with the company's human resources department says many people have been expecting the cuts to come. "We've continued to have to downsize our domestic manufacturing facility for years both in our goods and upholstery. We continue to source more product from China. This is something that's not unique to Thomasville, it's happened in virtually all segments of the furniture business." Thomasville furniture administrators say this is the first time their parent company has sent down an initiative to all of its brands to make cuts. The consolidation is expected to save the company $13 million a year. The other two North Carolina plants affected by the move are in Troutman. Those plants will consolidate into an upholstery facility in Hickory. The company says half of the positions in the facilities that are closing will transfer to other facilities. For more information about job assistance agencies in Davidson County and Thomasville visitwww.doc.state.nc.us.