Italian furniture company Arper commences production in the historic U.S. manufacturing town of High Point, North Carolina. The strategic investment by Arper in American labor and manufacturing will reduce lead times and increase service to U.S. customers – Arper's fastest growing market in the world.
Over the past 30 years, Arper has grown from entrepreneurial beginnings as a small leather manufacturer into an international company headquartered in Treviso, Italy with 12 showrooms in major design capitals worldwide.
The High Point facility is Arper's first manufacturing center outside of Treviso, and at 100,200 square feet, is nearly triple the size of the original plant. The investment in the facility, totaling over 3 million dollars, will allow Arper to operate as a domestic company with increased efficiency in production and distribution throughout the U.S., while reducing the company's carbon footprint.
Logistically, High Point offers an advantage for efficient components and material deliveries from Italy, as well as a central position for distribution to key domestic markets including New York and Los Angeles, where Arper opened a new showroom in September 2018. With manufacturing closer to the point of delivery, Arper is able to reduce inventory and create a faster turnaround time that meets shifting customer expectations in the age of e-commerce and fast furniture.
“We see incredible potential in the U.S. as one of the fastest growing and most relevant markets for design worldwide,” said Claudio Feltrin, Chairman of the Board at Arper. “High Point is the ideal base for Arper's stateside manufacturing as we have found extremely high potential in the expertise and professionalism of local talent.”
With a long history of furniture manufacturing, High Point offers a highly skilled workforce and multi-generational tradition of craftsmanship that aligns with Arper's design values and human- centered approach. The facility will serve a variety of manufacturing capabilities with a large focus on upholstery, with these roles filled by local workers and craftsmen. Over the coming years, Arper aims to produce 100% of upholstered product orders placed in the U.S. domestically.
