Grid2 Helps Harden Furniture ‘Rediscover’ its Brand Identity  Consumers will pay extra for quality, but only if the supporting marketing materials help them to understand exactly what their money buys, according to Martin Roberts, principal of GRID2 International. AHFA member company, Harden Furniture, of McConnellsville, N.Y., revitalized its brand recently with the help of GRID2, an award-winning team of retail consultants, architects, interior designers and graphic designers whose expertise in the science and art of retailing has placed them at the forefront of the retail design industry. Harden was struggling to communicate its core values effectively at the retail store level. Those values include heirloom quality, craftsmanship, made in America, environmentally friendly and delivery within six weeks. Harden and GRID2 used consumer research, including video store audits, to “rediscover” the brand’s roots and tell its story more effectively through redesigned marketing materials and in-store display components. The resulting Harden Home Studio™ – a 1,000-square-foot branded space within retail stores – is yielding double-digit sales and profitability increases for participating dealers. Display components include an in-store kiosk crafted in cherry with the same quality finish as the furniture. An in-store banner bears the new taglines, “For every generation, it just feels like home” and “Don’t compromise, customize.” www.grid2.com
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Gator-Ply Receives Greenguard Certification The Uniwood® business of Alcan Composites USA announces that its new Gator-Ply® Enviro-Backer™ has been awarded GREENGUARD Certification by the Atlanta-based GREENGUARD Environmental Institute (GEI). This certification signifies that Gator-Ply Enviro-Backer is in compliance with the stringent emission guidelines set by GEI. Gator-Ply Enviro-Backer is an economic alternative to conventional wood veneers and high-pressure laminates. It is manufactured with an alternative resin system that does not require the addition of formaldehyde. Gator-Ply Enviro-Backer was introduced this spring as the newest addition to the Gator-Ply wood-fiber veneer product line. Gator-Ply is a specially engineered, man-made, wood-fiber veneer introduced by the Uniwood business more than 30 years ago. Gator-Ply is used as a backing material in three-ply and five-ply panel construction for the office and residential furniture markets. www.gatorply.com |
 Nester Software Changes Name Nester Software has changed its name to Plataine. The new name reflects the company’s recent expansion to provide optimization and decision support for the entire production process, from order to assembly. Plataine specializes in the optimization of complex production processes that involve two-dimensional cutting of raw material and the assembly of the cut pieces into a finished product. Beyond improving the efficiency of individual tasks, Plataine’s expanded solution suite provides a greater level of visibility into the entire production process. It also helps managers make better decisions by presenting multiple operational scenarios based on accurate and timely shop floor data. Plataine solutions are used by over 1,000 customers in the apparel, furniture, transportation and other industries. Customers include leading manufacturers such as Bassett Furniture, Boeing, Ethan Allen, Ford, General Motors, The Gap, Haggar, Nike and Wrangler. www.plataine.com |
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GES Opens Sales Office In Hanoi Globe Express Services (GES) announces that its newest sales office in Hanoi, Vietnam, began operating in June. This move comes a year after the company’s Ho Chi Minh branch was granted Joint Venture status by  the central Vietnamese government. “Globe Express Services believes in the growth potential of Vietnam as an emerging economy,” commented Georges Mejaes, GES Regional Director, Far East. Globe Express Services is also adding two new offices in Chennai and Bangalore, located in the southern part of India. With these two new locations, Globe Express Services has a total of seven offices in India. The others are in Mumbai, Tuticorin, Cochin, Tirupur and Coimbatore. Globe Express Services provides international logistics solutions backed by 3PL customer service. Globe enables supply chain success through its ocean and airfreight forwarding, customhouse brokerage, multi-vendor and country consolidation, warehousing and distribution and value added information services. For more information, visit www.globeexpress.com.
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Lectra Has New Munich Headquarters Lectra announces the opening of a new headquarters in Munich, as well as a new office in Greengates, near Leeds, England. The new headquarters includes training and demonstration rooms for presentations of Lectra solutions and machines. Lectra provides integrated technology solutions that automate, streamline and accelerate product design, development and manufacturing processes for soft goods industries, including fashion, automotive (car seats, interiors and airbags), marine and furniture. www.lectra.com. |
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Sunbelt Adds New Dallas Sales Associate Sunbelt Furniture Xpress has added Jim Trussell to their sales team. Jim comes to Sunbelt with 10 years experience in furniture manufacturing and sales and will be based out of Dallas, Texas, covering Texas, New Mexico, Arizona, Colorado, Oklahoma and Kansas. Trussell can be reached by calling 800-766-1117 or via the Sunbelt website at www.sbfx.com. SunBelt operates a fleet of 250 tractors and 550 trailers. The company consolidates and delivers 5,000 to 7,000 pieces of furniture per day from over 350 different manufacturers. Some of Sunbelt’s largest shippers include: Bassett, Broyhill, Hooker, Lexington Home Brands and Thomasville. |
AHFA welcomes the following new members to its Suppliers Division:
HarrisData
software provides automated solutions that address the complex requirements of furniture manufacturing. HarrisData software is flexible and adapts to changes in the manufacturing process, helping to make it easier for companies to implement time and money saving programs such as lean manufacturing. HarrisData solutions can be implemented as one integrated package or delivered one component at a time. A variety of components provide the application software that is essential to running a mid-sized business, including financial software, human resources/payroll software, distribution software, manufacturing software, CRM software, and more.
CONTACT: Dan Drvaric, 262/754-2981 E-MAIL: ddrvaric@harrisdata.com WEB: www.harrisdata.com |
Standard Register's products and services include Internet e-commerce tools; design on demand (retail store communications, POP materials and promotions); print on demand (warranty information, manuals, booklets); commercial printing (posters, catalogs, brochures, warranty cards); traditional administrative/operations forms; pressure sensitive labels (shipping labels, law and deck labels, bar coding, production tickets and tags); and process improvement analysis and consulting.
CONTACT: John Bullock, 336/841-8140 E-MAIL: john.bullock@standardregister.com WEB: www.standardregister.com |
Brown Wood Products Company provides custom wood parts and components to the residential furniture industry. With facilities just outside Chicago, the company’s capabilities include turnings, moulding, CNC machining, and full finishing, assembly and customized packaging. Brown Wood can accommodate short runs, customized parts and quick ship dates.
CONTACT: John Oliver, 800/671-8620 E-MAIL: joliver@brownwoodprod.com WEB: www.brownwoodprod.com |
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Suppliers on Demand is a quarterly newsletter keeping AHFA members in touch with the products and services offered by its Supplier Division members.
This complimentary copy of Suppliers on Demand was sent to you as a benefit of your American Home Furnishings Alliance membership. Click here to unsubscribe. Click here to change your e-mail address. Send feedback here. The American Home Furnishings Alliance is not liable for the use of or reliance on any information contained in this newsletter. The next update of Suppliers on Demand will be in October 2007. Deadline for news and product releases is September 15, 2007. Email press releases and inquiries to pbowling@ahfa.us. For information about other member benefits, please contact the American Home Furnishings Alliance at 336/884-5000, ext. 106 |