October 13,
2011 by in UnCategorized 
By Home Furnishings Business in Green on October 14, 2011
2011 Sage Award finalists for environmental excellence in home furnishings and bedding are Crypton Super Fabrics, Leggett & Platt and Sauder Woodworking.
One of the three companies will be named the 2011 winner on Saturday, Oct. 22, at a recognition breakfast held in conjunction with the Opening Day Press Breakfast for the High Point Furniture Market.
The Sage Awards were launched in 2008 by the American Home Furnishings Alliance and Cargill's BiOH polyols business unit to seek out and spotlight environmental innovators from whom others in the home furnishings and bedding industries can learn. The competition is open to retail, manufacturing and supplier companies in both the furniture and bedding industries.
Crypton Super Fabrics, based in West Bloomfield, Mich., produces a specially engineered fabric system with an integrated moisture barrier. Unlike applied fabric protection coatings, Crypton's environmentally friendly, patented process is engineered into the fabric, encapsulating every fiber. The company's manufacturing facility in Kings Mountain, N.C., leverages best practices and manufacturing technologies to consume less water and energy, emit less pollution and reduce the use of packaging materials. Judges also scored the company high on its efforts to extend its best practices throughout the textile industry by supporting the development of the Sustainability Assessment for Commercial Furnishings Fabric. This fall, Crypton is focusing on its residential products with the launch of Crypton at Home.
Leggett & Platt Home Furniture Components, based in Carthage, Mo., has been producing furniture components for over 125 years and sells its engineered components to over 1,500 furniture makers worldwide. All 13 of the company's Home Furniture Components facilities in six states are implementing AHFA's EFEC environmental management system, and three of the largest have achieved registration. Since beginning the efforts in 2008, the 13 facilities have realized significant reductions in energy and water use, and have reduced raw material, waste and packaging use. Packaging innovations alone reduced tons of corrugated waste and saved tens of thousands of dollars. The company's efforts at its No-Sag facility in Kendalville, Indiana, earned the plant a Governors Award for Environmental Excellence this year.
The third finalist, Sauder Woodworking, was founded in 1934 by Erie Sauder, who began the company in a barn behind his Archbold, Ohio, home. Originally building custom cabinets and church pews, he eventually added small tables that he crafted from the "leftovers." With his focus on efficiency, he introduced a new concept in 1951--a snap-together table that could be shipped in a flat-pack box, and the ready-to-assemble furniture industry was born. Long before "sustainability" was a global concern, Sauder's reuse of scrap material and efficient, RTA shipping was setting a standard for sustainable business practices. Since 2010 alone, the company has invested more than $2 million in processes to recover and reuse wood waste; $1.5 million to convert lighting in over 4 million square feet of manufacturing space; and $1.7 million in a system to optimize air flow and reduce energy use.
The winner receives $2,500 from Cargill to be donated to the environmental cause or charitable organization of the winner's choice. All three finalists will be featured in a customized video that spotlights their environmental achievements. The videos will be presented Feb. 22 at the 2012 Sustainability Summit in Raleigh, N.C., and will be featured on the Sage Award Web site for a year. In addition, all three finalists receive a complimentary registration to the Summit.
The three Sage Award finalists were selected by a diverse panel of eight judges representing furniture and bedding industry leaders, environmental journalists, sustainability experts and the furniture industry business press. They included Sharron Bradley, executive director of the Western Home Furnishings Association, a division of the National Home Furnishings Association; sustainability expert Heather Gadonniex, who this year joined Underwriters Laboratories as the organization's new environmental product declaration program manager; and Leslie Guevarra, an associate editor for Greener World Media who has more than 20 years of news experience, including work at the San Francisco Chronicle, where she was a deputy managing editor. Greener World Media is an online publishing group focused on sustainable business.
Judges also include Jessica Kellner, editor-in-chief of Natural Home Magazine, an authority on sustainable home design and materials, earth-friendly decor and natural lifestyles; Jean Nayar, former editor-in-chief of Woman's Day Special Interest Magazines and author of "Green Living by Design"; Ryan Trainer, president of the International Sleep Products Association; Powell Slaughter, senior editor at Home Furnishings Business; and Steve Walker, assistant director of the Furniture Manufacturing and Management Center at North Carolina State University.
October 13,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Bedding on October 14, 2011
Natural and organic bedding vendor Natura World has laid off 26 workers at its Wichita Falls, Texas, plant as it consolidates production into one shift.
"We have been making steady headway to improving our production efficiency," said Natura World President Ralph Rossdeutscher. "In these trying economic times we need to carefully watch our overhead. We believe these new steps will contribute more quickly to the overall health of the company and our ability to get ourselves back on track to fulfilling the commitments we made to the State of Texas and the local community."
Natura World develops innovative products for all areas of sleep, not just a mattress or a pillow.
October 13,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Rugs on October 14, 2011
Rug retailer Zaki Oriental Rugs is adding a High Point Furniture Market showroom in Suites at Market Square.
The 3,300-square-foot to-the-trade space, MS-MZ3045, will enable the company to reach more retailers and designers at Market, said Zaki Uddin Khalifa, owner of Zaki Oriental Rugs. This showroom is in addition to his 100,000-square-foot High Point location, housing more than 14,000 high-quality premium heirloom rugs, that is open year round to the public, as well as for retailers and designers.
"We will have at least 700 beautifully executed examples of our luxuriously fine hand-knotted rugs to give retailers and designers a taste of the exceptional quality and values we offer," he said of Zaki's Market Square presentation.
To celebrate the opening of the new showroom, Zaki will host a brunch for designers and retailers in the new Suites at Market Square space on Monday, Oct. 24, 9:30-11 a.m., where Zaki, an icon in the Oriental rug market, will share his expertise to help retailers and designers broaden their knowledge of these magnificent rugs so their clients can appreciate the true craftsmanship that is required in creating these beautiful masterpieces. As an added bonus, an eminent Pakistani rug exporter, Shahid Hassan, also will be in the new showroom space during Market and at the brunch to answer questions and to further explain the uncompromising workmanship and art behind creating an Oriental rug heirloom.
Zaki Oriental Rugs specializes in the finest hand-knotted 100 percent wool, wool/silk and luxurious 100 percent silk rugs in sizes up to 17-by-28 feet. The in-stock selection includes collectible premium rugs such as Oushak, Tabriz, Kashan, Nain, Isfahan, Sarouk, Bidjar, Qum and more in exquisite colors and designs. Each rug is accompanied by a detailed, written certification guaranteeing its quality and distinctiveness.
Zakitothetrade.com is the company's trade online catalog.
October 13,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in High Point on October 14, 2011
The home furnishings buying group MEGA Group USA has moved its High Point Furniture Market showroom to the NHFA Retailer Resource Center.
Previously, MEGA had leased a 750-square-foot showroom in the Plaza Suites Building, but decided to move into the Retail Resource Center to better serve their dealer members and potential retailers.
The primary market focus for MEGA Group USA will be its WebFronts Premium Plus Mattress and Bedding Platform. The Oct. 22-27 High Point show is the first furniture market since MEGA unveiled this new technology two months ago at its National Convention.
"We are looking forward to demonstrating the Mattress and Bedding platform to this year's High Point Market attendees," said Jerry Honea, COO of MEGA Group USA. "This new web technology sets our dealers apart in their markets by providing them an industry-leading web presence that rivals the big box retailers. Our members who have already adopted the new Web technology have experienced significant increased traffic and sales."
The WebFronts Mattress and Bedding technology platform is appropriate for dealers whose businesses are part or entirely mattress and bedding.
October 13,
2011 by in UnCategorized
By Home Furnishings Business in Upholstery on October 14, 2011
Lifestyle home furnishings vendor Four Hands will debut its first ever U.S.-made upholstery collection at October High Point Furniture Market.
The Republic collection focuses on iconic items that define spaces in the home as well as offering full collections. Styling will range from Euro-Modern to updated-transitional with focus on scale, detail and comfort. A diverse yet focused fabric offering will feature cover combinations inspired by Four Hands' merchant team's extensive travels abroad.
"We are extremely pleased to find ourselves sourcing back in to the USA with this introduction," said Vice President of Upholstery and Seating Wade Oppliger. "This factory has modeled their business to take advantage of opportunities that the market provided. They deliver exceptional quality and comfort with full custom capabilities--exceptionally fast and at a great value. We believe our customers will find this an unbeatable combination."
Four Hands, based in Austin, Texas is a global manufacturer and wholesaler of home furnishings.