Alabama Cabinet Maker Sets Five-Year Expansion Plan

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Researched by Industrialinfo.com (Industrial Information Resources; Houston, Texas). Wellborn Cabinet Incorporated of Ashland, Clay County, Alabama, (Plant 1517160) is well into an aggressive $30 million five-year expansion mode. The company has recently built a 10,000 square-foot door construction plant and is also in the process of building a two-story, 35,000 square-foot rough mill (glue-up) operation. Also in the works are a 52,000 square-foot machining training facility for employees and clients and a 15,000 square-foot lodge for guests. In November 2002, the company opened a day-care center for employees, since some 40% of their employees are women.

A company spokesman said the company was also looking at buying other cabinet companies and rough mill lumber companies. It is considering buying two shuttered furniture manufacturing facilities in North Carolina, but that project is, at this date, still uncertain. Wellborn also bought out Cabinets by Karman in Salt Lake City, Utah, last year, a $20 million a year business employing 250 workers. Other plans for the next five years include adding another 500,000 square-foot manufacturing facility. Wellborn also owns a small plant in Lineville, Alabama.

Morgan Wellborn established wellborn Cabinet in 1962, a homebuilder, whose sons Paul and Doug, now deceased, built cabinets for those homes. Paul Wellborn and his family have continued the family tradition in the business.

The expansions are expected to increase production from 10,000 cabinets a week to 30,000, as well as to add 1000 jobs. Wellborn acts as its own general contractor for the expansions - the company has full in-house fabrication and maintenance crews, its own timber-processing mill, concrete plant, and boiler plant, and generates 20 percent of the power it uses.