Plant Manager Reed Pro In Woodworking
Industry, Attributes Success To Father
Plant Manager of Andrews
Furniture Industries Inc.,
Lewis O. Reed was born and
raised In the woodworking in
dustry In historic Gettysburg,
Pennsylvania. Lew's father
was In the woodworking furni
ture manufacturing field for
48 years and trained Lew at
the Old Gettysburg Furniture
Company. After graduation
from high school. Reed took
special courses in Business
Management, Quality Control
and Accounting, but attributes
his most Important education
to his father's efforts.
According to Reed, "Moving
to Andrews was Just like com
ing home. The people are
wonderful and I'm looking for
ward to working with them for
many years." An avid sports
man, Lew loves the country
and small town life and stated
that he had never found a
community more receptive
and helpful to strangers than
Andrews. His favorite past
time Is camping out with his
wife and three children. In
clement weather Is no deter
rent to the Reed family, who
camp out In a tent or sleep
ing bags, winter and sum
mer. Lew and his wife. Rose,
have spent many years work
ing with the Boy Scouts, and
she U presently leader of a
Girl Scout troop In Andrews.
Eldest son In the Reed fami
ly Is Lewis 0? Jr., a senior
at Andrews High School and
an Bagle Scout. Daughter,
Jody, la 16 and a Junior at
Andrews High, and Tammy
Lee Is 7, In second grade and
the family pet. Another Im
portant member of this all
round family is Peppy, part
Pekinese and part Rat Ter
rier, who loves camping as
much as the rest of the
Reeds.
Some of the principal
positions Reed held prior to
joining Andrews Furniture
industries include the Bruns
wick Corporation In Marlon,
Virglhla and Kalamazoo,
Michigan where he was Qua
lity Control Manager and
Division Superintendent. Lew
helped to establish the Plastic
Division for Aircraft at this
plant. In addition to govern
ment contract work, this com
pany produces dinette sets
and Institutional furniture.
Lew was also plant manager
of Phoenix Furniture Cor
poration in Sheboygan, Wis
consin. manufacturers of
chairs, dining room furniture,
institutional and architectural
woodwork. He was also plsnt
Law Read
manager 01 Mutscnier Dru
thers in Nappanee, Indiana,
manufacturers of fine kitchen
cabinets and institutional
furniture and plant manager of
Lamlnite Plastics in Morris
town, Tennessee. He also
spent four years in the Engi
neer Corps during World
War II.
In addition to camping.
Lew's favorite pastimes are
fishing and flying and he is
looking forward to future days
of relaxation in the mountains
where these hobbies are
readily available.
Modern New Plant Of AFI To Build
Magnavox Stereo, TV Cabinets
One of the most modern and
best-equipped furniture plants
in the industry has just been
completed at Andrews with a
total footage of 267,619 square
feet. Rough Mill production
at Andrews Furniture Indus
tries Inc. is now underway
with complete production
scheduled in J anuary. By the
end of 1966, it is planned to
have several hundred em
ployees working in this mo
dern new plant and personnel
will be added as rapidly as
people are trained in cabinet
work.
Located on a 59 acre tract
west of Andrews near Highway
19, this multimillion dollar
concrete Mock/aluminum sid
ing plant was built to process
rough green lumber to the fin
ished product of fine furni
ture cabinetry.
An inventory of three mil
lion board feet of lumber will
be maintained in the yard with
the majority of lumber species
from the local area. Pri
marily this lumber will con
sist of Appalachian hickory/
pecan, poplar, elm, maple,
oak and beech. When the rough
lumber comes into the plant,
it will be unloaded, automati
ally graded and stacked in
le Green Shed, then stored
t the yard to air dry. It
111 then be dried In one of
le five modern dry kilns,
'hich have a total capacity of
65,000 board feet. When the
amber is thoroughly dried, it
J then moved to the DryStor
ge Shed, which has an 800,
00 board foot capacity, to
wait processing through the
ough Mill, where defects are
ut out and the boards are cut
>r length and width.
The manufacturing portion
f Andrews Furniture Indus
?ies Inc. consists of 143,700
qua re feet, starting with the
inish Mill, where the lumber
1 processed through various
lachines such as the Double
nd Tenon Machine, Auto
latic Profile Shaper, mould
rs, routers, boring equip
lent and various other mach
ling operations in pre
a ration for the Sanding De
irtment. In the Sanding De
artment the woodlsprocess
3 through three fine wide
st sanding machines.stoke
anders, edge Sanders and
[her sanding equipment be
ire being thoroughly hand
inded. The wood is then con
syed to the Sub-Assembly
epartment where the com
anents are assembled using
Igh-frequency gluing equip
ment to make frames for lat
er use in the Assembly De
partment. Cases are clamped
In the Assembly Department
and placed on conveyor belts.
Various operations are then
carefully performed including
hand-sanding, cleaning. In
specting and preparation for
the finishing process.
In the Finishing Room, there
are ten spray booths with the
most modem available curing
ovens in the DeBurgh Finish
ing System. This double deck
four-pass high temperature
drying oven system will hold
525 pallets.
After the furniture has pas
sed through the many steps
of spraying and drying, it is
carefully hand-rubbed and
conveyed through the Trim and
Pack Line where it is again
hand-rubbed, touched up,
hardware is attached and
cases are packed. The Fini
shed Goods Warehouse con
sists of 28,800 square feet.
The entire plant will oper
ate on steam, using two 309
horsepower boilers which are
fully automatically controlled.
Other features of this modem
plant include a well-equipped
dispensary with a nurse on
duty at all times, and a can
teen with full line of vending
equipment in the employee
"break area".
Andrews Furniture Impact
On Area Cited By Ferebee
is
m
ei
m
in
(A man who has been Intim
ately associated with efforts
in securing new industry for
Cherokee County and who is
still directing efforts in this
direction comments below of
the impact of Andrews Furni
ture, Inc. upon the economy of
Cherokee County. He is Percy
B. Ferebee, Mayor of Andrews
and President of Citizens Bank
and Trust Company with main
offices In Andrews.)
By Percy B. Ferebee
Cherokee County is attain
ing its highest level of econ
omic development with the es
tablishment here of Andrews
Furniture Industries, Inc.
With an economy dependent
upon rr mufacturing industries
through the years, Cherokee
County's greatest decade of
progress was sparked in the
mid 1950's with the attraction
of various diversified indus
tries.
For its immediate impact,
and fo- Its long-range
benefits, t- ne rivalled the
importance to jut county of
the establishment of Andrews
Furniture Industries, Inc. In
Andrews.
Now Andrews can point with
pride to a local industry that
rill build cabinets for one of
he worlds best known stereo
ind televisions, Magnavox.
This enterprise will open
lew job opportunities for our
>outh in a field never before
ivailable in the three most
southwestern counties of
iJorth Carolina.
This enterprise will con
:ront our County and City with
?najor needs for housing, re
creation, education, medical
ind health facilities, and re
sted family activities. . at
he same time affording our
bounty and City the talents of
nany from the AF1 organlz
ition who now serve in co mm
inity programs for progress
n these fields.
This enterprise will bring
vide attention to Cherokee
bounty as an area that can
jrovtde the proper environ
nent conditions for the oper
ition of a successful Industry.
it the same time serving as
mlsating testimony to And
rews as a good place in which
? live and work.
Andrews Furniture Indus
Ties' enormous investment in
iollars and confidence in our
bounty will be a leader for
sound economic growth and
ievelopment in the years
shead.
A F I To Begin Full-Stale
Cabinet Produttion In Jan.
As the 267,619 square foot
plant of Andrews Furniture
industries Inc. at Andrews
goes into production, cabinet
models similar to those shown
on this page will roll from the
assembly lines.
Wood finishes in walnut,
cherry, and maple are to be
utilized. Styling of the cabi
nets includes Contemporary,
French Provincial, Danish
Modern and Colonial.
Tha Magnosonlc X-10, In walnut finish
TIm X-10, In im^U finish
Tli* Mognocolor 21 -Contemporary, in wolnut finish
1
Tho Mogno Color 21?0oni?H Modom, in dorlc wolnul
*
THa Tavion 21-Franc* Provincial, In 4lstrosaad eharry
IVe Are Proud To Have Been Selected
To Do The Grading And Excavation
In The Construction Of The Beautiful
New Building Of
Andrews Furniture Industries , Inc.
The Colonial and The Jefferson in maple
HAROLD WELLS
MURPHY, N.C. ANDREWS RD. 837-2837