Whom Home CEO Expands Mexican Factory

March 15, 2022  by Laurie Northington in Business Strategy, Industry   

The increased capacity is focused on fulfillment of upholstered seating orders, including sofas, sectionals and armchairs.

Bass produces mid- and high-end furnishings, including case goods and accent items, directly for retailers such as Neiman Marcus, Bloomingdales, Nordstrom, and West Elm, as well as for national O.E.M. resources.

“Our retail customers are really focused on meeting the needs of their target consumer who is looking for style, but more importantly, for a better shopping experience,” says Bass. “The dealer has to have access to new and unique products, and that’s just not happening with their overseas resources.”

“The retailers tell us their consumers are running out of patience with excessive order wait times,” he adds. “We are geared up to meet delivery lead times within four to six weeks.”

Bass, who announced the expansion of his Northern Mexico factory footprint to 400,000 square feet last year, says investment in proximity manufacturing is the right direction for the industry. “Mexico is the solution to our offshore supply chain challenges, U.S. labor shortages, and inflationary pressures, which are the harsh realities of doing business today.”

“Retail customers are looking for options to mitigate the shipping and freight costs associated with offshoring,” says Bass, who in 2011 opened the factory in Mexico, located directly across the U.S. border from Yuma, AZ. “Container shipping costs from Yuma to the West Coast are running in the neighborhood of $1,000 which is hard to beat.”

With last fall’s factory expansion announcement, Bass predicted growth in manufacturing personnel by 40 percent before the year’s end. Adding to the new production lines, 80 cut and sew positions have been filled to meet demand from U.S. customers.