NEWH - Fall 2013 - (Page 38)

Product Know How Made in America No Place Like Home A growing resurgence in domestically produced products offers familiar challenges and opportunities By Ashleigh VanHouten W e all know design trends come and go—and come back again, as the hospitality design landscape revisits successful concepts and improves on original ideas. One such movement: the focus on domestically produced products. A number of factors influence where our products come from—budget, timing, sustainability, and quality, to name a few—and increasingly, there’s a strong desire for locally made designs. Manufacturers are responding: here’s what a few industry leaders have to say about the advantages and challenges of keeping production close to home. Fabricut Contract’s vice president Matt DeShantz says more than 50 percent of the company’s yearly sales are from fabrics produced in the U.S. Domestic products are increasingly valuable, he says, to a younger generation of designers asking where the fabrics they’re using are manufactured; having started in the industry during the recession, they’re tuned into long production and shipping schedules from overseas. “Not only have they found this frustrating, but they also see the larger environmental issues associated with it,” says DeShantz. “Domestic mills are held to the highest standards in their manufacturing process, ensuring quality fabrics with a minimal carbon footprint.” Of course, the decision to produce more domestic-made items isn’t an easy one. “The transition to overseas production didn’t happen overnight,” DeShantz points out. “The biggest challenge to domestic manufacturing is keeping up with demand.” Not surprisingly, DeShantz says price is ultimately one of the biggest obstacles. “Our challenge is to develop less expensive ways to manufacture locally and still keep the quality, consistency, innovation, and integrity of the fabrics offered.” Steve Mulherin, general manager of Bernhardt Hospitality (which manufactures 50 percent of its products—mostly upholstered seating—in North Carolina facilities) agrees that there has been increased demand for U.S.- and North Americanmade products. He echoes DeShantz’s sentiments about the challenge of balancing a high standard of quality with budget and timing issues. “The challenge with U.S. manufacturing is executing high-end, custom products that meet today’s budget and schedule requirements,” he explains. “Th is is particularly true with custom casegoods. Skilled labor and availability of specialty materials remain a challenge.” All Durkan Hospitality carpets are manufactured in Dalton, Georgia, and Mark Page, senior director, color and design, hospitality for the company says they are one of just a few suppliers who produce hospitality carpets locally. “So many of our competitors have chosen to support low-salaried employees overseas in countries like China, Left: Fabricut’s Contract Studio collection of upholstered woven fabrics, 80-85 percent of which are domestically manufactured. Right: Durkan’s newest collection, Rugged Liberty, contains 20 large patterns that reference denim coloring and flowing art. All of Durkan’s products are produced domestically. India, Egypt, and Thailand. Despite the threat of cheap imports our business has remained strong and for that we thank our loyal customers for their enduring support.” Page is seeing jobs slowly returning home, for a number of reasons: increasing labor rates in the developing world, customers becoming more aware of the environmental impact of foreign trade, and the fact that locally sourced product has become popular, even trendy. “We feel more comfortable in the quality of materials produced here in the U.S., more trusting of labor conditions, consistency of materials, and reliability of service and after-sales support,” Page explains. Whatever the reasons, it’s becoming increasingly more cost and time efficient for the hospitality industry to find locally made products, and that works out for both designers and manufacturers. “For Durkan there’s little value or cost savings to manufacturing overseas and it’s a choice we make to support American jobs, who produce a world class product,” says Page. “With changes to technology and customer buying habits, we see tremendous growth opportunity ahead for many years to come.” ❙❘❚ 38 www.newh.org NEWH_0913_ProductKnow.indd 38 9/5/13 5:21 PM http://www.newh.org

Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of NEWH - Fall 2013

NEWH - Fall 2013
Table of Contents
News
Who’s Who
Sustainability
Conference Roundup
Q&A: Julia Marks
Q&A: Scott Pope
Icon of Industry
Have You Seen?
Product Know How
On the Scene
Cover Story
Project: A Bar
Project: Trademark
Save the Date
New Members
Partner Profiles
Ad Index

NEWH - Fall 2013