DeFehr Furniture closing Winnipeg plant, hundreds to be laid off

DeFehr is closing its Winnepeg plant and is expected to lay off more than 200 employees.

DeFehr Furniture is shutting down a Winnipeg production plant, and more than 200 workers will be looking for work.

In a notice posted to its website this week, DeFehr said it will end case goods manufacturing at its facility at 125 Furniture Park this summer. The move will affect 224 employees, the company said.

“The decision to cease operations was the result of severe supply chain disruptions and raw material sourcing challenges over the past two years, combined with balancing the pace of price increases that were passed along to customers,” the May 4 notice reads.

DeFehr said the facility will officially close on Aug. 10. 

“This wind down will be carried out in a controlled and orderly manner, and all obligations to suppliers and employees will be honored as we work to complete and fulfill customer orders on hand,” the notice reads.

Affected employees will be offered support programs through the changes, the company added.

“On behalf of the Defehr family, we want to express our gratitude and thanks to our employees for their contributions to manufacturing high quality."

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Larry Adams | Editor

Larry Adams is a Chicago-based writer and editor who writes about how things get done. A former wire service and community newspaper reporter, Larry is an award-winning writer with more than three decades of experience. In addition to writing about woodworking, he has covered science, metrology, metalworking, industrial design, quality control, imaging, Swiss and micromanufacturing . He was previously a Tabbie Award winner for his coverage of nano-based coatings technology for the automotive industry. Larry volunteers for the historic preservation group, the Kalo Foundation/Ianelli Studios, and the science-based group, Chicago Council on Science and Technology (C2ST).