Atlanta-based furniture and appliance leasor Aaron's Inc. described its in-house furniture production in its latest annual report.The division consists of five furniture manufacturing plants and nine bedding manufacturing facilities totaling approximately 818,000 square feet of manufacturing capacity.

Woodhaven Furniture Industries, our manufacturing division, was established in 1982, and we believe it makes us the largest major furniture lease-to-own company in the United States that manufactures its own furniture. Integrated manufacturing enables us to control critical features such as the quality, cost, delivery, styling, durability and quantity of our furniture products, and we believe this provides an integration advantage over our competitors. Substantially all produced items continue to be leased or sold through Company-operated or franchised stores.

Our Woodhaven Furniture Industries division produces upholstered living-room furniture (including contemporary sofas, chairs and modular sofa and ottoman collections in a variety of natural and synthetic fabrics) and bedding (including standard sizes of mattresses and box springs). The furniture designed and produced by this division incorporates features that we believe result in reduced production costs, enhanced durability and improved shipping processes all relative to furniture we would otherwise purchase from third parties. These features include (i) standardized components, (ii) reduced number of parts and features susceptible to wear or damage, (iii) more resilient foam, (iv) durable fabrics and sturdy frames which translate to longer life and higher residual value and (v) devices that allow sofas to stand on end for easier and more efficient transport.

The division also provides replacement covers for all styles and fabrics of its upholstered furniture, as well as other parts, for use in reconditioning leased furniture that has been returned.

Because it is a publicly trade manufacturer, Aaron's has to report on its supply chain under Section 1502 of the Dodd-Frank Act to further the humanitarian goal of ending the violent conflict and human rights abuses in the Democratic Republic of the Congo and adjoining countries. 

Some of the products manufactured by Woodhaven Furniture Industries, our manufacturing division, may contain tantalum, tin, tungsten and/or gold. Consequently, in compliance with SEC rules, we have adopted a policy on conflict minerals, which can be found on our website. We have also implemented a supply chain due diligence and risk mitigation process with reference to the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development, or the OECD, guidance approved by the SEC to assess and report annually whether our products are conflict free.

Aaron's, with 12,700 employees, reported $3.179 billion in revenue last year, up 18 percent. Furniture is 42 percent of its revenue, the remainder appliances and electronics. First quarter of 2016, revenues increased 4 percent to $854.4 million.

(Source: woodworkingnetwork.com  Author: Bill Esler)