Autumn House is a curved-plywood manufacturer that has operated in Granite Falls, North Carolina, since 1978.
Autumn House is a curved-plywood manufacturer in Granite Falls, North Carolina, according to Woodworking Network.
Autumn House's own site describes a plant built around specialized bending and finishing equipment, including heat induction and radio frequency pressing technologies, four 5-axis CNC machines, and in-house finishing, according to autumnhouse.com. The company's website separately lists four 5-axis routers, one 3-axis router, and 22 curved plywood presses using heat induction or radio frequency, underscoring just how equipment-intensive curved-plywood production is.
Conflicting Numbers on Staff Size
How many people currently work at the Granite Falls plant depends on which source you check. The Woodworking Network report states the Autumn House facility employs more than 30 employees, while Autumn House's own website claims 50 employees in the curved plywood industry with an average tenure of 11 years. Neither account explains the discrepancy, and it's unclear whether the figures reflect different count dates or different definitions of staff.
Levon Afeyan is president and CEO of Seatply Products Inc. Josh Zangwill is Seatply's director of sales and marketing.
Seatply has provided manufacturing capabilities, quality, and service for more than four decades.
A Furniture Industry Still Rebuilding
Between 1999 and 2009, North Carolina's furniture manufacturing industry lost more than half of its jobs, according to the Richmond Fed. The regional Federal Reserve bank identifies increased competition from lower-cost furniture imported from Asia, mostly China, as the chief cause of those losses. Since then, the Richmond Fed notes, industry leaders have pursued different strategies based on high-value-added niches, customization, and rapid delivery in an effort to compete.
Other North Carolina furniture makers have announced expansions in recent months. Coley Home plans to invest $9 million to expand its production capacity with a new manufacturing facility in Claremont, according to the North Carolina Governor's Office.
Autumn House has operated in Granite Falls since 1978.
