CE Pro December 2022 - 8

Industry Pulse
NEWS | ANALYSIS
Lutron to Build
145K-SquareFoot
Shade
Manufacturing
Facility
Reinforcing its commitment to dealers
and the growing category, Lutron eyes
2024 to open new facility adjacent to
company's existing building in Ashland,
Va. By Jason Knott
IF THE CUSTOM electronics
community needed any indication
about how bullish the
prospects are for continued
growth in the motorized
shade market, look no further
than Lutron Electronics.
The Coopersburg, Pa.-based
leader in lighting controls
and automated shading solutions
announced significant
expansion plans for its shade
manufacturing operations.
The company plans to
build an additional state-ofthe-art,
145,000-square-foot
manufacturing facility to
increase capacity and support
category growth among
the professional installer
community. Construction will
begin in Ashland, Va., in fall
2022, and the new facility
will be fully operational by
early 2024.
Lutron already has a sizeable
shade factory in Ashland,
and Lutron president Ed Blair
8 | CE Pro December 2022
tells CE Pro the new facility
will be adjacent to the existing
one, enabling the company
to build a campus-like environment.
Besides the two
Ashland facilities, Lutron also
owns a factory in Chihuahua,
Mexico, that is also dedicated
to shades.
When the new facility is
online, it will mean Lutron's
shade manufacturing capacity
will be 30% to 50% higher
than it is today, which will result
in reduced lead times for
CE pros ordering products,
according to Blair.
" We wanted to make sure
that we built a factory that
was big enough to handle the
anticipated growth, " he adds.
Blair says the new facility
will focus on the " center of
the road " shading products
that are most in demand.
The Chihuahua facility will
focus on Lutron's core commercial
and battery-based
When the new facility is online, Lutron's manufacturing
capacity is expected to bump 30%-50%.
shade solutions, while the
existing Ashland factory will
become a specialty shop that
can deliver unique solutions
for integrators, such as oddshaped
windows or curved
drapery solutions. Blair notes
that the facility already has a
pit that enables the Lutron
team to assemble a 40-foottall
shade if necessary.
The addition of the new
facility comes on the heels
of the company's record
growth, continued innovation
in battery technology,
new shade designs, and
growing consumer awareness
and demand for Lutron's automated
shading solutions.
Blair says adding another
dedicated shade manufacturing
facility reinforces
Lutron's commitment to
dealers and readies the industry
for category growth.
" Lutron's automated
shading solutions offer a
significant and sustainable
business-building opportunity
for the CEDIA community, "
he says. " With consumer demand
at an all-time high, the
opportunity to develop and
grow your shade business
with Lutron has never been
greater. This new state-ofthe-art
facility, coupled with
our steadfast commitment to
quality, unrivaled investments
in innovation, and worldclass
training and technical
support makes Lutron a
strong bet for the future. "
Lutron built the automated
shading category and
has been offering shading
solutions since the 1990s.
Since then, the company has
substantially grown its global
shading business with the
Serena, Sivoia QS, Palladiom
and Triathlon product lines,
solidifying its position as the
global leader and creating
significant business opportunities
within the channel.
Blair, who led Lutron's
shading division and has
more than 25 shade-related
patents, says he is pleased
to see shades be a strong
source of revenue and profitability
for dealers.
" There's a lot of room
to grow, " he says. " Dealers
are just now beginning to
scratch the surface. We're
ready to handle the increased
demand. "
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CE Pro December 2022

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