Valdese's Hot Contract Business Interests Jobbers
August 27, 2004
VALDESE, North Carolina — Alfred Bolton, export director, is looking for sales reps to expand Valdeses hot domestic contract business worldwide.
Valdese Weavers, Inc., is not only growing its office furniture contract business, it is increasing its market share in hospitality, healthcare and corporate markets, according to Blake Millinor, vice president, contract for Valdese, one of the largest producers of jacquard upholstery fabrics in the U.S., based in Valdese, North Carolina. As a result of Valdeses progress in the office furniture and style-driven jobber markets in the U.S., the company is counting on further gains in the export market for its contract fabrics.
Were carefully building the contract business from a small, solid base but we see great potential for this business, said Millinor. The company has an interesting blend of panel fabric business in Grand Rapids, hospitality business with Northeast jobber/specialists and corporate seating business split between the jobber and the manufacturer.
Were diversified. It is important to be able to compete in all three markets to be successful in the overall contract business as a mill today, he said.
He says Valdese is competitive because it is good at providing short runs for jobbers to compete with smaller, design-driven mills that specialize in highly diversified lines and supply long-runs for manufacturers that are highly efficient in producing a more limited product range.
Major manufacturers like Herman Miller, Steelcase and Haworth have such strong requirements for quality and delivery. We can offer our success here to the style-driven jobber. As a result, the jobber wins big with us with high style as well as quality and delivery, said Millinor. We dont want to dominate either business. We just want to be a key player in both markets. Were trying to do everything possible to service our jobber customer just as well as our competition. In fact, the two markets support each other, according to Millinor. We have recently received several important placements in the office furniture market. These placements were won on style, not price. Grand Rapids looks at Valdese as a style leader and thats why were getting the business there.
Millinor does have a question. How do we make money in the customs market where we have to make samples for multiple jobbers, all who think they will get the order from a hospitality project only to find that only one gets the order? Who is going to pay the cost for product development here? He doesnt have an answer but hes working on it.
Valdese Weavers, Inc., is not only growing its office furniture contract business, it is increasing its market share in hospitality, healthcare and corporate markets, according to Blake Millinor, vice president, contract for Valdese, one of the largest producers of jacquard upholstery fabrics in the U.S., based in Valdese, North Carolina. As a result of Valdeses progress in the office furniture and style-driven jobber markets in the U.S., the company is counting on further gains in the export market for its contract fabrics.
Were carefully building the contract business from a small, solid base but we see great potential for this business, said Millinor. The company has an interesting blend of panel fabric business in Grand Rapids, hospitality business with Northeast jobber/specialists and corporate seating business split between the jobber and the manufacturer.
Were diversified. It is important to be able to compete in all three markets to be successful in the overall contract business as a mill today, he said.
He says Valdese is competitive because it is good at providing short runs for jobbers to compete with smaller, design-driven mills that specialize in highly diversified lines and supply long-runs for manufacturers that are highly efficient in producing a more limited product range.
Major manufacturers like Herman Miller, Steelcase and Haworth have such strong requirements for quality and delivery. We can offer our success here to the style-driven jobber. As a result, the jobber wins big with us with high style as well as quality and delivery, said Millinor. We dont want to dominate either business. We just want to be a key player in both markets. Were trying to do everything possible to service our jobber customer just as well as our competition. In fact, the two markets support each other, according to Millinor. We have recently received several important placements in the office furniture market. These placements were won on style, not price. Grand Rapids looks at Valdese as a style leader and thats why were getting the business there.
Millinor does have a question. How do we make money in the customs market where we have to make samples for multiple jobbers, all who think they will get the order from a hospitality project only to find that only one gets the order? Who is going to pay the cost for product development here? He doesnt have an answer but hes working on it.
