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International Furniture Technologies (IFT) new production facility in Big Rapids, Michigan was constructed in 1990 by Triangle Associates, Inc.

The company’s highly automated factory incorporated the latest Italian, German and Danish woodworking technology. IFT was the first U.S. manufacturer of residential wood veneer furniture for IKEA, the Swedish retailing giant.

After two years of production, IFT closed the doors and in 1993 was purchased by Globe Business Furniture (GBF), a domestic manufacturer of seating, institutional furniture, and ready-to-assemble office furniture. Later that same year, Haworth purchased GBF. Globe was headquartered in Hendersonville, Tennessee and had estimated sales of more than $100 million for 1992. Similar to other Haworth manufacturing facilities, the 100,000 square foot plant is a visual factory using lean production techniques to minimize waste, improve throughput and exceed customer expectations.