New KUKA HOME Mexico Plant Focuses on Special-Order Stationary Upholstery
HIGH POINT, NC — China-based upholstery manufacturer KUKA HOME is expanding its global manufacturing footprint with a new plant in Monterrey, Mexico. The new facility will focus on special-order stationary upholstery for the North American market. It will open with an initial 130,000 square feet of assembly and production space and 250 employees. KUKA aims to expand that to 750,000 square feet and 1,500 workers within the next five years. Initial production should be 23 to 30 truckloads a month.
“As the factory gains experience, we’ll expand shipping to more dealers with more models and up to 100 truckloads a month by the end of the year,” says Steve Lush, president of KUKA HOME North America. “We’re looking at an ultimate capacity of around 600 truckloads a month. This will serve what we feel is a growing part of the market: special orders with fast delivery capability.”
KUKA’s goal with the Mexico plant is a three-week production cycle and a week to week-and-a-half transit for a total of four to five weeks’ delivery to the door. While the facility will produce fabric upholstery only to start, leather production should come online by 2021. The Monterrey factory will begin production with in-line goods, but KUKA plans to develop new products exclusive to the Mexico plant by April High Point Market.
The government of Monterrey’s home state, Nuevo Leon, has been very helpful in development of the new upholstery plant, from site research to assistance in the training of workers.
Separately, KUKA has purchased 45 acres north of Ho Chi Minh City where it will start construction this year on a 400,000-square-foot motion plant with room for additional growth.
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