Martin to Rebuild Mexican Factory Following Fire

August 6, 2007  by in UnCategorized   

By Home Furnishings Business in Furniture Retailing on August 2007 A fire last week at the Kathy Ireland Home by Martin production facility in Mexico destroyed one of three buildings on the property.

The impacted building housed finishing and assembly departments along with administrative offices.

“Although this is a serious setback in our Mexican operations, we are lucky that the only consequence we suffered was machinery and furniture,” said Gil Martin, president and owner. “None of the 150 co-workers in that building were injured in the fire and for that we are grateful.”

Martin said all workers in the affected departments will continue to be paid until production is fully restored.

Upon returning from the Las Vegas Furniture Market, Martin visited the facility in Mexico to assess the damage. After careful consideration of all options, Martin decided to consolidate the three production facilities into one large, single building that will more than double its previous capacity. Finishing operations are expected to resume no later than September.

The original production facility consisted of three buildings, one of which was designated for finishing, assembly and administrative offices. Production in the remaining two buildings will continue while the finishing department is rebuilt. Once the new building is complete, the remaining production departments will be moved into the new facility.

The fire did not affect the 250,000-square-foot warehouse facility in San Diego where finished goods from Asia and Mexico are stored and shipped.