Fire at Kathy Ireland Home® by Martin Facility

Furniture World Magazine

Kathy Ireland Home® by Martin (KIHBM) experienced a fire on Monday, July 30 at their production facility in Mexico. The blaze destroyed one of three buildings on the property. The affected building contained the finishing and assembly departments as well as administrative offices. “Although this is a serious set-back in our Mexican operations, we are lucky that the only consequence we suffered was machinery and furniture. None of the 150 co-workers in that building were injured in the fire and for that we are grateful,” said President and Owner of KIHBM, Gil Martin. “All workers in the affected departments will continue to be paid until production is fully restored.” Upon his return from the Las Vegas Furniture Market, Martin visited the facility in Mexico to assess the damage. After careful consideration of all options, Martin decided to consolidate the three production facilities into one large, single building that will more than double its previous capacity. Finishing operations are estimated to resume in September, possibly sooner. The original production facility consisted of three buildings, one of which was designated for finishing, assembly and administrative offices. Production in the remaining two buildings will continue while the finishing department is rebuilt in a larger building. Upon completion of the finishing department, the remaining production departments will be moved to the new location as well. The fire did not affect the 250,000 square- foot warehouse facility in San Diego, Ca where finished goods from Asia and Mexico are stored and shipped. In 1981 Gil Martin founded Martin Furniture, a premier producer of home office and home entertainment furniture. Twenty-two years later, in April 2003, Martin Furniture partnered with Kathy Ireland Worldwide and became Kathy Ireland Home by Martin (KIHBM). KIHBM is the sole licensed manufacturer of home office and home entertainment furniture under the Kathy Ireland Home brand. Their products are sold through several retail channels all over the country including warehouse clubs, commercial office, catalogs, Top 100 Retailers and specialty stores. For more information please visit www.martinfurniture.com. ###