Furniture Manufacturer Haworth to Close Canadian Factory

According to published reports this week, contract furniture manufacturer Haworth, is closing its movable wall and wood furniture plant in Calgary Canada. Haworth acquired the plant, which manufactures Haworth's Smed brand of demountable walls product, less than 10 years ago when it purchased Smed from founder Mogens Smed. Haworth plans to consolidate the operations into their existing factories in West Michigan.

Smed Demountable Wall Product

As reported by Rob Kirkbride in this week's edition of The Monday Morning Quarterback, there is no love lost between Mogens Smed and Haworth. Smed opened DIRTT (Do it Right This Time), a direct competitor in the demountable wall market to Haworth, the day after his non-compete agreement with Haworth expired.

Smed commented to Kirkbride about the factory closing, "You know my opinion about big companies and I'm not just talking about Haworth here. Big companies don't care about people".

Haworth's response (through its CEO Franco Bianchi) also via Kirkbride, "He runs his business in the way that he thinks is right and we do the same...What I know is that we...are going to be around for many times going forward. I'm not sure if he can say the same thing".

Can't we all just get along...