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When Couches Fly
Rowe Furniture Inc. vows not to fall to imports. All it needs is a faster way to make sofas and chairs.
From: Issue 84 | July 2004 | Page 80 | By: Chuck Salter
For Bruce Birnbach, the dining room may be the scariest part of the house. It's not that he's insecure about his table manners. It's just that for Birnbach, the president and COO of Rowe Furniture Inc., the dining room represents a vision of a future he's struggling desperately to avoid. Since January 2001, at least 49 U.S. plants specializing in wood furniture -- think dining tables and bedroom sets -- have closed. Imports have seized 52% of the market.
Fortunately, Rowe makes upholstered furniture -- sofas, ottomans, and such. Because these can come in so many styles and fabrics, they've proven tougher for exporters like China to reproduce in bulk. Still, trouble is looming: Imports have snagged about 16% of this market, compared with 9% five years ago. Birnbach is determined not to cede the living......

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Approximate Word Count: 2156
Approximate Pages: 9 (250 words per double-spaced page)

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