BJS North America East Celebrates Grand Opening in Jefferson County
New Manufacturing Facility Creates 150 Jobs
NASHVILLE — Tennessee Economic and Community Development Commissioner Matt Kisber along with BJS North America East, Inc., a Swedish furniture manufacturer specializing primarily in bedroom accessories, announced today the grand opening of a new manufacturing facility in Dandridge, Tenn. This move brings a $6-8 million investment to Dandridge, creating approximately 150 jobs.
“Governor Bredesen and I welcome BJS North America East to the Volunteer State,” Commissioner Kisber said. “We’ve worked hard to create a business friendly climate in Tennessee, and we are grateful for BJS North America East’s investment in our citizens and state.”
The company will celebrate the opening of the new facility with a ceremony and ribbon cutting on Friday, Oct. 16 at 11 a.m. at 1000 Industrial Park Road in Dandridge. In addition to the ribbon cutting, BJS will also be celebrating the production of the one millionth piece of furniture for Swedish furniture company IKEA. Local Jefferson County community leaders and several Swedish dignitaries will be in attendance at the ceremony.
With the help of city, county and state officials, the principles of BJS, Pär Lidåker and Kaj Johansson, have partnered with Klote International Corporation official Carl-Gösta Torstensson to bring this facility to Dandridge. The new manufacturing facility located in the Dandridge Industrial Park contains 95,000 square feet of production, warehouse and office space.
The location of the plant in Dandridge was made possible due to several factors. Proximity to the interstate makes transportation of their products feasible to a number of retail outlets and a large customer base throughout the United States. In addition, the abundant work force of trainable, local people and the strong work ethics of the Jefferson County population made Dandridge an appealing choice for the company. These, along with the cooperation of city, county and state officials, helped BJS leaders make the decision to locate in Dandridge.
At the Dandridge location, BJS will manufacture tables, head boards, chests, day beds and other products using a high-quality medium density fiberboard. The company designs, develops, and manufactures all furniture by using advanced technology in their factories. Their finishing facilities number among Europe’s most modern and use a water-based finishing system only, which is harmless to the environment.
About BJS North America East, Inc.
BJS North America E, Inc. was organized and chartered in the state of Tennessee, July 2008, by BJS Group AB and Klote International Corporation.
BJS Group AB was founded in 1917. It is still privately held by two families. The original product was a solid birch foldable bed, perfect for the “compact living” conditions people with large families and small houses were facing. Ever since, the company has had a strong tradition in house design and development of their own styles of furniture and the customer base that is found among retailers in Scandinavia and the United Kingdom. However, with the start of IKEA cooperation some thirty days ago the company was introduced to OEM (original equipment manufacturer) production. This category has continued to grow rapidly and is the foundation for the investment in Dandridge, TN. BJS Group AB also operates fully owned manufacturing plants in Sweden, Czech Republic and Slovakia. The fundamental concept in BJS is a narrow and well defined focus on water based and UV curing paint systems for wood material. These systems operate with less than two percent emission of organic solvent, which means a minimal load for the environment.
In addition to the “paint and pack” operation, BJS NAE has also developed a milling facility. This wood shop manufactures component parts from MDF (medium density fiberboard). This component part, along with fittings from external suppliers, makes up the complete package for the RTA (ready to assemble) furniture produced in this new state of the art facility.
About the Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development
The Tennessee Department of Economic and Community Development’s mission is to create
higher skilled, better paying jobs for all Tennesseans. The department seeks to attract new corporate investment in Tennessee and works with Tennessee companies to facilitate expansion and economic growth. To find out more, go to www.tn.gov/ecd.
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Contact: Valerie Somerville, ECD
Office: (615) 532-1925
E-mail: valerie.somerville@tn.gov
Contact: Dale Dennis, BJS North America East, Inc.
Office: (865) 397-1173
