Ritz-Craft's New NC Modular Plant Ships First Home

11/08/2005

  HAMLET, NC—After nearly two years of planning, construction and preparation, Ritz-Craft's first two-story home rolled off the line at the new 200,000 sq. ft. modular plant here.

    “The plant has generated tremendous interest from southern builders because of the unique elevations, floor plans and amenities offered by Ritz-Craft,” said Paul D. John, President and CEO. “Most of the plant design, work flow, lighting and stor­age areas were created by my brother Eric, making this plant the most technologically advanced marvel in the industry,” said Paul John.

    “Visitors are impressed by how clean and bright the fac­tory is because they recognize the positive effect it has on employee morale and workmanship,” added Eric John. “All of our materials are stored indoors instead of under shed roofs which allows materials to acclimate to the environment before they are used in production,” he added.

    The plant's new products, named the Carolina Elite Series, are attractive to builders because Ritz-Craft consulted with southern builders to develop elevations and plans that are best suited to southern living.

    “The Carolina Elite Series and Legacy Series of plans include more than 45 ?oor plans featuring varied porch and three deep box designs, all of which can be customized to meet the needs of today's buyers,” said Paul John. “And, we have created the most sophisticated interior and exterior amenities in the modular industry -- like 9/12 hip roofs, 32'-wide homes, Corian and granite counter-tops, 9' ceilings, 42" overhead kitchen cabinets, rounded walls and tray ceilings, to name but a few,” he added.

    The plant was built for Ritz-Craft by Southern Builders of Rockingham, NC, with the assistance of Mid-Atlantic Crane Company of Raleigh, NC, who built and installed the cranes and hoists. The Ritz-Craft plant layout was created in a joint effort between Neil Smith Engineering and Eric John and his staff. It involved a full three months of consultations and revisions before the layout was finalized.

    “We started with a CAD plan with color-coding for the cranes and mezzanines so we can visualize the plant layout,” Eric John said. “When we organized the material flow from point A to point B, I tried to keep it simple and as much in a straight line as possible. Ritz-Craft's Hamlet, NC and Jones­ville, MI plants are among the most effcient in the nation because of the simplicity and versatility of their layout,” he added.

    Taking delivery of the first home was Bart Leeuwen of Country Living Homes in Powhatan, VA. Leeuwen expressed how proud he is to accept the first home and his confidence in the management and workers in the Hamlet facility.     

    Ritz-Craft of Pennsylvania, the North Carolina operation's parent company, brings over five decades of manufacturing experience to the Southern housing market. Ritz-Craft of North Carolina has a five state marketing territory, including Virginia, North Carolina, South Carolina, Georgia and Ten­nesee. General Manager at the Hamlet Plant is Ron Olson.

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