by Move effectively ceases the manufacturing of home office and home entertainment furniture categories in its Tijuana maquiladora operation, which it has run for the past 20 years
SAN DIEGO — Home office and home entertainment specialist Martin Furniture is shifting its production of home office and home entertainment cabinets from Mexico to Malaysia and Vietnam.
The move falls on the heels of the company’s expansion into dining room furniture and fireplace consoles this past October. In order to streamline the production of these product categories along with its home office and home entertainment lines, the company said it has centralized its manufacturing operations in Asia under the oversight of Gustavo Velez, vice president of imports.
Velez joined the company earlier this year in this role, a new position at the time. Joining the company from L&F Products and Whalen Furniture, he has more than three decades of furniture manufacturing experience, starting with his ownership of a case goods manufacturing facility in Tijuana.
As part of the transition, Velez and his team have relocated their corporate offices to Vietnam, which the company said marks a “strategic move to oversee and coordinate the entire production process seamlessly.”
Martin Furniture operated the Tijuana factory as a maquiladora, a plant that is run by a foreign company to export products to a country where that company sells product. In Martin’s case, the plant produced case pieces for the home entertainment and home office line that were sold to retailers in the U.S. Over the years, it also has sourced some of its product line in Asia.
The company said that the Mexico plant remained operational through November and that it is now considering options for the facility that align with its long-term goals.
The company said that the move to shift production to Asia reflects its “commitment to adapt to changing market dynamics and capitalize on new opportunities in the global market.”
“The expansion into new product categories and the strategic relocation of production facilities position Martin Furniture for continued growth and competitiveness in the ever-evolving furniture industry,” the company said in a statement. “The decision reflects the company’s forward-thinking approach to remain at the forefront of innovation and meet the diverse needs of its customers worldwide.”
