Daily News
From Home Furnishing Business
Southerland to Increase Production with New Factory in Nashville
June 15,
2021 by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Industry 
Mattress manufacturer Southerland has executed a lease for a 318,000-square-foot manufacturing facility at 6050 Dana Way, just off Interstate 65, in Nashville. The new factory will enable the company to increase production capacity by more than a third and add up to 40 new jobs to meet increased demand for its sleep products. It is expected to open in late June.
Manufacturing quality bedding products in the U.S. since 1893, Southerland has been manufacturing mattresses and foundations in its 107,000-square-foot multi-level location at 1973 Southerland Drive for nearly 50 years. The company also manufactures its adjustable bed bases through its American Adjustable division in a separate 50,000-square-foot manufacturing space. The new one-story factory will bring manufacturing, transportation and Southerland’s adjustable base production all under one roof, enabling new efficiencies in workflow and manufacturing logistics. Additionally, the new location will have an expanded showroom which will highlight its extensive “family of brands,” as well as serve as the company’s product innovation lab.
New equipment will be installed in the plant, giving the company additional manufacturing capabilities as well as drastically enhancing its production capacity. It will also have 20 loading dock doors, doubling the company’s current capacity in Nashville. Significant efforts will go into the relocation to the new factory to ensure that there is no disruption of production and service to the company’s retail partners.
“We are very excited to move into this larger, more modern facility with a more efficient design and layout that will allow us to achieve an even higher level of service for our customers,” said Bryan Smith, president and CEO of Southerland. “This additional capacity and expanded footprint will help us increase production and support the explosive growth our retail partners are experiencing in time for the even busier summer selling season. We are very fortunate and excited to stay, and expand, right here in Nashville where we can preserve and add new jobs to the local economy where we have been operating since 1893.”
The company worked with state officials and the Tennessee Valley Authority for assistance with relocating to the new facility, including initiatives for energy usage based on the increase in efficiencies the new plant will bring to the company’s manufacturing processes.