US RTA furniture manufacturer Sauder Woodworking is planning to start up another production facility in Fort Wayne, Indiana, in September. The company has leased a new production hall there with a total area of 100,000 sqft or roughly 9,300 m². Sauder told Furniture Today that the reason for selecting this particular location is the labour available in the region. As an alternative to Fort Wayne, the company had also considered an investment in Toledo, Ohio. According to Sauder, in the region around the headquarters in Archbold, where some 2,500 people are employed, there are increasing shortages in the supply of skilled workers.
In Fort Wayne, which lies roughly 100 km southwest of Archbold, Sauder wants to start with approximately 50 employees. The furniture components produced there will be delivered to the distribution centre in Archbold to be sold on from there.
