Adornus Cabinetry, a manufacturer of kitchen and bathroom cabinets, has completed the purchase of a 349,000-square-foot manufacturing and administration facility in Lancaster, SC, and the building and town are already buzzing with excitement.
The move to the former Duracell Batteries facility, which will now house the Adornus main manufacturing operation and corporate headquarters, was primarily motivated by a desire to improve responsiveness to dealers’ and customers’ needs, according to company co-owner and CEO Jorge Mejias.
“With all the uncertainty surrounding imports and tariffs and trade with China,” he said. “We wanted to be sure we could stay ahead of the curve.
“By establishing a manufacturing operation in the US, we can insure a quicker turnaround for existing orders, as well as a faster reaction to changing trends in the market.”
Adornus, a privately held company which has grown to prominence in its market in just over a dozen years, will be starting operations in the new location in the next three months. The firm is investing over $10 million, which will bring 210 new jobs to the area, all paying more than $15 an hour, more than double the national minimum wage.
“We are thrilled to be bringing so many jobs to the US,” said Mejias, adding that the company is also in the midst of a rebranding which will focus on the US in AdornUS.
Founded in 2007 by co-owners Jorge Mejias and William Li, Adornus currently has about 100 employees, so the expansion will triple its workforce.
Since its inception, the company has maintained distribution facilities in New Jersey and Florida, and a manufacturing plant in China that opened in 2009. Its unofficial headquarters in its expansive Doral facilities, will remain open to serve customers in the SouthEast and Latin America, while the plant in China will continue to manufacture goods for the Asian and European markets.
In a related move, Adornus is expanding the Doral operation with the opening of a nearby factory and showroom specifically built out for the manufacturing and sales of custom kitchen and closet lines. The 48,000 square foot location has been outfitted with state-of-the-art European machinery which has the capacity to quickly produce custom, high-end, euro-style cabinet and closet systems to designer specifications, for individual homes as well as residential communities or commercial buildings.
The addition of the two facilities, said company marketing director Luis Guevara, puts Adornus in the unique position to react quickly to client needs for both in-stock and custom orders.
“With almost 350,000 square feet in South Carolina, we can now keep more inventory in the country, for almost immediate turnaround,” he said. “And with the cutting-edge equipment in our new Florida factory, getting custom cabinets from design to completion will take a fraction of the time it used to.”
CEO Mejias called Lancaster the ideal fit for the growing company.
“South Carolina is the perfect location and business environment for our high-quality cabinetry operations,” said Mejias in a Lancaster Commerce Department press release. “We thank our local and state partners for their continued support, and we look forward to joining the Lancaster business community.”
The company’s arrival is especially good news for Lancaster. When Duracell announced in July 2016 that it was ending battery production there, the city of Lancaster lost its largest taxpayer and water customer.
This hit the city particularly hard, since it had also suffered another blow in 2018, when Springs Memorial Hospital, the city’s second-biggest taxpayer, and the third-largest in the county, was sold to the non-profit Medical University of South Carolina.
“The city of Lancaster is thrilled to have Adornus Cabinetry LLC join the wave of positive growth,” said Lancaster Mayor Alston DeVenny, adding that the company “will bring modern manufacturing techniques and processes together with old-school values of fair pay for hard work.”
Adornus is the largest manufacturer to move to Lancaster since 2013, and is now Lancaster County’s seventh-largest manufacturer.
“Lancaster County’s heart and soul have always been in manufacturing, and we couldn’t be more excited,” said Harper. “Adornus is an outstanding company with a world-class product, and their decision to locate in Lancaster County is a reflection of the excellent workforce, business climate and support we offer businesses.”
Once situated in their new locations, said Guevara, the company plans to introduce new colors, new collections and a new, semi-custom line for kitchens.
“Because we can now have more control and will be able to be involved, hands-on, more easily, on a daily basis,” he said. “We’re ready to grow and to explode on the market.”
Adornus has already begun moving into the new locations, and Guevara is confident that the transition should be unnoticeable to dealers and customers.
“Except that they may experience more inventory and faster deliveries,” he smiled.
