Manufacturing Today - Summer 2010 - (Page 90)
Brodart Company – Contract Furniture Division
www.brodartfurniture.com / HQ: McElhattan, Pa. / Projected 2010 sales: $21 million / Employees: 180 Services: Contract library furniture / Randy Mackenzie, vice president: “We’re getting set up for the future.”
brodart company designs custom furniture for libraries worldwide.
Where it Counts
brodart company’ s contract furniture business is expanding in all the right ways. by lori sichtermann
Brodart Company considers itself the library supplier. With 71 years’ worth of experience supplying libraries across the country – and around the globe – with quality products, the bragging is well-deserved. Consisting of three distinct divisions – books and automation, supplies and furnishings, and contract furniture – Brodart has its hands in nearly every aspect of the library industry. But, it’s the work the company does within the contract furni90
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ture business that has distinguished Brodart from competitors.
Quality Manufactured
They say good news travels fast. In the case of Brodart Company, quality products travel far. According to Randy Mackenzie, vice president, library supplies and furnishings division, libraries across North and South America, as well as the Middle East, seek Brodart-made furniture. “With library furniture, there are very high
expectations for quality in terms of construction and durability,” Mackenzie explains. “We are known as a quality manufacturer and as a company that offers a good-quality product at a fair price.” The types of products offered by Brodart range from technical furniture to seating to display items. The company prides itself on its ability to transform any environment into a destination, thanks to an innovative approach and imagination. “If you go to our website, you’ll see lots of different styles of furniture, including seating and lounge items,” Mackenzie adds. “It’s more than what our competitors offer. We don’t try to be the lowest-price manufacturer – we’ve never competed on price. Instead, we try to offer the most attractive combination of product selection, quality and service.” It’s the service aspect of that combination that has helped the company grow into a powerhouse provider of library furniture. According to Mackenzie, libraries around the globe seek Brodart products because the company is known for working with clients to design furniture that fits the exact needs of any facility. “Our capabilities and willingness to do custom manufacturing is key for us,” Mackenzie says. “About half of all our orders involve some kind of customization of the product. A lot of our competitors just won’t do that.” For Brodart, providing clients with a custom design entails a harmonious collaboration between the company’s dealers, the end-user, the architect and the interior designer. “We get involved early in the process with these custom projects,” Mackenzie says. “In some cases, we might get involved two years before they need the furniture.”
Branching Out
The traditional library industry has two tiers of markets. The first is the
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Table of Contents for the Digital Edition of Manufacturing Today - Summer 2010
Manufacturing Today - Summer 2010
Contents
Washington
Global Strategies
Continuous Improvement
Smart Pricing
Supply Chain
Business Value
Moving Forward
Westmark Products
Byrne Dairy
Ultrafryer Systems Inc.
Wil-Rich LLC & Wishek MFG LLC
American Precision Fabricators
Aqua Products Inc.
Bennington
Black Diamond Equipment
Columbian Home Products
Control Devices LLC
Endustra Filter Manufacturers Inc
Heil Trailer International
Assembled Products
Order-Matic Corp.
Professional Building Systems Inc.
Smart Start Inc
Bosal International
Ausco Products Inc.
Brodart Company
Cambrex Corp.
Chapin International Inc.
Cleveland Gear Co.
Consolidated Precision Products
Control Flow Inc.
Douglas Autotech Corp.
Fetzer Architectural Products
The FNA Group
Fourslide Spring and Stamping Inc.
G.A. West & Company
Great Lakes Power Group
Grimm Brothers Plastics
Legends Furniture Inc.
National Tube Supply Co.
Optex Systems Inc.
Sunburst Electronics
V.E. Enterprises Inc
W. Soule & Company
Manufacturing Tomorrow
Manufacturing Today - Summer 2010
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