Officials: manufacturing looking up in Asheville (High Point, Lincolnton: store, bill, exodus)

[SunnyKayak]

Manufacturing jobs in western North Carolina have increased in the past couple of years, and officials said they are receiving more inquiries from companies interested in locating to the region.

read more Officials: manufacturing looking up in Asheville

[Shooting Stars]

I'd love to see North Carolina get more of their furniture manufacturing tradition back. There were entire families of skilled laborers and artisans that worked in that industry. The only ones left in NC, tend to work for the high-end furniture companies that can afford them.

I was working at a furniture store when the tide turned and furniture companies started teaching the Chinese how to make their furniture. It was a long learning curve too because you don't learn those skills overnight.

The exodus started with the low-end companies and gradually worked up to higher-end. The higher-end requires more skill.

[SunnyKayak]

State made furniture manufacturing might be coming back, Bill Cochrane just re-started up his furniture manufacturing in Lincolnton. He had samples at Furniture Market in High Point, recently featured on Rock Center, met with President of US and also sat behind first lady at state of the union.

Originally Posted by SunnyKayak

Furniture industry veteran Bruce Cochrane plans to open Lincolnton Furniture by the end of the year. Cochrane, former president of his family's Cochrane Furniture, says the plant will employ about 130 by the end of 2012.

read more Furniture factory to open in Lincolnton (http://www.gastongazette.com/news/year-59808-factory-furniture.html - broken link)

Im glad NC is getting back to its roots.

[theoldnorthstate]

hopefully that means folks will start getting back to work

times have been hard for many