RINGGOLD, GA.—As a means to improve overall efficiency of its Shaw Living rug division, Shaw Industries has begun the second phase of the business unit’s consolidation by moving all manufacturing equipment from other sites to the plant here over the next several months.
Herb Upton, Shaw Living’s director of operations, called the Ringgold facility state-of-the-art and noted, “All our Shaw Living assets, including R&D, design, manufacturing, sales and distribution, will now be centrally located. This move will be a significant benefit to our customers as it will improve our time to market and customer service.”
What makes this move different than a typical consolidation is it is not a downsizing of the operation. As such, Upton told FCNews Shaw will be relocating to Ringgold the associates needed to support the consolidated business.
“Any positions that are displaced with the consolidation or associates who prefer to stay in the Gordon County area will have opportunities to take positions at other local Shaw facilities. Our belief is all associates will have immediate and future job opportunities within Shaw.”
He explained the consolidation is purely a logistical measure to help the division be more efficient and better able to serve its customers. “Unlike Shaw’s carpet and hard surface business that travels through multiple distribution centers across the country and are distributed by the company transportation fleet, rugs are transported to one central distribution location in Ringgold and shipped via external carriers to the customer.”
Upton added before the consolidation Shaw was distributing rugs from multiple distribution centers throughout north Georgia, which added additional “touch points,” time and duplication of infrastructure and support. “This consolidation will reduce handling, improve time to market and reduce infrastructure expenses.”
Besides the distribution efficiencies, he said manufacturing, sales, marketing, and research and development are now in one building. “The rug category is home decor which is heavily focused on design and styling trends. Having all resources in one location will provide the synergistic platform to drive our product development process to the next level—faster, quicker, better.”
For more on Shaw Living, call 706.965.0954.
-Matthew Spieler