Ekornes Contracts for N.C. Plant

August 18, 2011  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Motion Upholstery on August 19, 2011 Hendrick Construction Inc. has won a contract to build high-end seating maker Ekornes' first U.S. manufacturing facility, located in Morganton, N.C.

Ekornes ASA is the largest furniture manufacturer in Norway and sells products all over the world. The Morganton plant, which will assemble components shipped from abroad, is scheduled to start production in early 2012. Construction is scheduled to be complete by the end of 2011.

"This is an exciting project that will have a lasting impact on the region, and we're on a fast schedule to finish construction and open the plant," said Roger Hendrick, president of Hendrick Construction(http://www.hendrickconstruction.com/), Charlotte, N.C. "We're proud to be building Ekornes' first manufacturing facility in North America."

Hendrick Construction is renovating a 100,000-square-foot warehouse to create the space for Ekornes. About 90,000 square feet will be used for manufacturing, and the remaining space will be converted to offices, employee break areas and a showroom.

Ekornes plans to create 58 jobs and invest $1.3 million during the next three years in Morganton. Salaries will vary by job function, but the average annual wage for the new jobs will be $30,464 plus benefits.