Jun 20 2007
Natuzzi Rumor
Ahhh – so the rumor among the furniture showrooms I’ve been frequenting could be true: Natuzzi is moving all their production to China. At first I was aware their Italsofa line was produced by factories in Latin America and China, but I was under the impression that even the Natuzzi-branded lines would still be made in Italy. Not so anymore, apparently all production will slowly be shifted to China to meet the competition; leather will still be imported to China I’ve been told, but all the production (still according to Natuzzi-quality specs) will be done in China.
June 24th, 2007 at 5:37 pm
A good friend of mine recently visited the Southern Italian town of Santeramo, where Natuzzi’s offices and some of the 11 factories are located. She came back and told me of the incredibly innovatove production system and the sheer volume that comes out of the Italian production facilities. They wouldn’t just shift production to China, considering how proud they are of the Italian made difference. They’ve just poured considerable funds into improvements at the Italian factories. Also, the company trades publicly on the NYSE under NTZ and they are answerable to their shareholders…such a move makes absolutely no sense considering the importance of the “MADE IN ITALY” aspect. I wouldn’t listen to or publicise rumours…