by Company has started manufacturing its stationary upholstery line and plans to add more groups to its production lines by early 2022
VARDAMAN, Miss. – Upholstery startup JCooper USA is already in an expansion mode just six weeks after getting off the ground and just after completing its first High Point Market.
The manufacturer said it is now running one production line at its 120,000 square-foot production facility in Vardaman and plans to add a second in November and a third in December.
Each production line is expected to produce as many as 10 mixed truckloads of finished goods per week or 40 per month, noted Josh Enis, sales director, adding that the company expects “very high growth” between now and the first quarter of 2022.
Production has already begun in the facility, about 70,000 square feet of which is devoted to manufacturing and raw materials storage. The remaining 50,000 square feet will be used to warehouse finished goods. So far there are about 52 workers at the facility, which Enis said is expected to grow to 120 sometime in December.
At market, the company came out with five stationary groups that include a mix of fabric and pu sofa, loveseat and chair combinations plus storage ottomans and two-piece sectionals.
“We went with five because we didn’t want to “over-SKU” it, Enis told Home News Now. “That is where factories get into major issues. We just wanted to come out with five proven winners and start simple.”
Sofas are targeted to retail from $699 to $799 while sectionals are targeted to retail from $1,599 to $1,699, Enis said, adding that the company also expects to have a mix featuring a 50-50 split between rolled goods and kits from overseas. While it has about 20 sewers at the factory, it will use the kits for various parts of the mix, in order to help streamline the manufacturing process.
While two of the first five groups led the pack in terms of response at market, the company is expecting to produce all five, between now and February. These goods are expected to ship between four to six weeks from the time of order.
“Obviously our main focus is to put out a quality product, but also to be able to ship fast and be a good vendor for the retailers we partner with,” Enis said, noting that it is hoping to convert commitments into written business within the next couple of weeks.
“We didn’t have a lot of customers (at market) but the ones that came in were very meaningful,” he added. “We had a very good market.”
