Stanley Furniture to Lay Off 530 Workers-Martinsville, VA
May 13, 2010
As reported by the Martinsville Bulletin, 530 employees will loose their job the furniture operation moving overseas. Reference:http://www.martinsvillebulletin.com/article.cfm?ID=23632&back=archives
Article written by Debbie Hall
Stanley Furniture’s decision to end manufacturing at its Stanleytown plant will cost 530 employees their jobs.
Glenn Prillaman, president and CEO of the company, said a “handful of employees,� fewer than 20, will lose their job within the next two to four weeks, but the majority will continue working until manufacturing operations cease, likely in October through December.
The decision to move production of the adult furniture overseas was made because the company was out of other options, Prillaman said.
The Stanleytown operation last turned a profit during the last quarter of 2008, he said. For it to have been profitable now, its production would have had to double, he added.
“We held out as long as we could� and the company has “put up a good fight� to keep domestic manufacturing in Stanleytown, he said.
Stanley will retain “somewhat of a manufacturing footprint� in Martinsville and Henry County by using at least half of the 1.7 million-square-foot facility in Stanleytown for warehouse and distribution space, Prillaman said.