Governor coming for Swedwood opening

By Bernard Baker

Published: April 30, 2008

Gov. Timothy M. Kaine and other state and local dignitaries will be on hand when Swedwood opens its Danville factory May 21.
The ceremony begins at 10:30 a.m. for the company’s first U.S. manufacturing plant.
Swedwood will build different types of furniture for IKEA that will be sold around the world.
City Manager Jerry Gwaltney said Swedwood’s progress continues to move along.
The plant is about 930,000 square feet and it sits on 209 acres in Cane Creek Centre, which is a joint industrial park operated by Danville and Pittsylvania County.
“Right now, there are about 175 to 200 people working at Swedwood,” Gwaltney said Wednesday. “That’s well on schedule for the rev up. Swedwood is pleased with the progress and pleased with the employees.”
The Sweden-based company’s local furniture manufacturer will make a variety of wood-based IKEA products such as bookshelves, coffee and side tables, and modular entertainment
systems.
“We made excellent progress on construction last year and our installation of equipment and machinery has gone very smoothly,” Bengt Danielsson, North American president of Swedwood, said in a prepared statement. “Now our primary objective is to complete appropriate operational training for 175 co-workers, as well as to ensure a seamless production and packaging process.”
Swedwood is an industrial group of IKEA’s companies that manufacture and distribute furniture. There are 36 production facilities in nine countries in Swedwood’s arsenal and 13,000 employees.
Gwaltney is eager to see Swedwood expand in the community. He said the plant expects to employ nearly 800 people and the size of the facility should grow as well.
• Contact Bernard Baker at or (434) 791-7986.