Showing posts with label made in America. Show all posts
Showing posts with label made in America. Show all posts

Monday, August 31, 2009

Amazing Milo M2M Tables



Every day it seems that the Milo Made 2 Measure Tables are multiplying! Shown here are two of our craftsmen working together in our workroom making a Milo table to order. Available in 4 heights, with 4 veneer species and by the inch from as small as 16 inches square to as large as 72 by 52 inches! The Milo M2M Table gives you the flexibility to design the size you need for your room! After selecting the height, the width and depth, the veneer and finish, we will make your custom table in just 2-4 weeks from order!



Shown is a group of Milo M2M Tables that range in size from the smallest size and height up to a full size dining table! The graceful saber legs add beauty to their practical options.








Next is a special Milo Table ordered in a Benjamin Moore paint color as a match panel finish. The designer selected the finish to match the customer's color scheme. We were happy to purchase the paint and apply it to their table.

The last Milo M2M Table shown is in a combination of Cerused Ash finish on the top and Kohl finish on the base. It was ordered as a pair destined for Washington state. It is one of a pair of 34" console height that is 66 inches long and 18 inches deep.
What table would be perfect for your room?

Monday, July 27, 2009

A New Look for HCC University Alumni News


For some time we have heard from our HCC University participants in the "impressed by sessions" that they were expecting a factory with production lines. They did not expect Hickory Chair's 600,000 square foot factory to have the feel of being a custom workroom! Our employees showed their passion and craftsmanship. They were happy and shared their enthusiasm for our culture of continuous improvement named EDGE Employees Dedicated to Growth and Excellence. They were eager to share their stories of the ideas they had to make their work not so hard, to make the product better quality, to reduce the waste in the process and to make one of a kind pieces to order. They were amazed to see one of a kind pieces being made to order.



We began using the word made instead of manufactured a few years ago. We do not manufacture large production runs. We do make pieces to order. This allows us to personalize pieces for the person's home. We make the vast majority of our wood and upholstered products here in Hickory, North Carolina. We do source some hand carved posts and pieces from long term associates off shore in areas where there are no local sources. We do source metal, glass, stone and our hardware as we do not make these components. But, if we can possibly make it we are determined to keep the work here for our employees. While most manufacturers have been closing plants, we are working hard to build skill, perfect artisanship and remove the waste through recycling, repurposing and and designing the waste out of the product. It is lack of control of these costs that typically causes domestic factories to close. It is a fact that the percentage of pieces made here in Hickory grows each year!


We celebrate the word MADE as it reflects the dedication of 450 employees here in Hickory, North Carolina who hand make furniture to order. It is in celebration of this ability that we have changed the name of HCC University Alumni news to MADE for those who take furniture personally!


Share with us your feedback. You know we are listening!

Thursday, July 23, 2009

Made in America


In an age of imported products, it is comforting to know that Hickory Chair is still hand crafting one of a kind pieces in Hickory, North Carolina. Since 1911 we have enjoyed the results of highly trained artisans and craftsman that have chosen to make furniture as their vocation. They take such pride in their ability to make pieces that no one may every order that same way again.
In fact did you realize that 87% of our entire product line is made in Hickory? Over the past 5 years our employees have worked diligently to remove the wasteful processes and materials from our facility. The result is that they have more time to invest in each piece that has been ordered for a home. Five years ago only 80% of our product line was made in Hickory.

Because we make it here we have flexibility that offshore manufacturers just do not have! Our employees will work together to try and modify or create one of a kind pieces for our customers. For example, a designer that visited us at market and was excited to see how we had personalized Suzanne Kasler's Piedmont Dining Table to be counter height. (Refer to our They Made It For Me story for more details). Her client needed a very large casual cocktail table. The search ended when she asked " If you can make it taller, can you make it shorter? I need a 20" cocktail table!" We checked with the factory and it was a quick yes!
Asking for special construction requests are easy! Just email your customer service representative a detailed request. If possible print out a picture of the piece from the web site and draw/label it with the instructions. Then fax or scan and email this drawing. Our team meets every morning to review the requests. Our goal is to say yes to every request but if we can not accomodate it we will not only offer a suggestion but will use this to push ourselves to figure out how to be able to say yes next time!