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“A strong desire to understand the customers’ needs, combined with our vision of ‘perfecting motion,’ have enabled Blum to become a well-recognized brand.”
Blum-ing in Charlotte Around the world some 6, 500 employees are working on behalf of Blum to create perfect motion in over 300 patented products. Internationally, Blum has seven factories in Vorarlberg, in Western Austria, as well as production facilities in the United States, Brazil and Poland, delivering to more than 100 countries. Dynamic Space: “The company has its roots Motionin Austria,” explains Blum USA’s Workflow-Space CEO Karl Rudisser, “and our global headquarters is still located there today in a city called Höchst. Blum was established in 1953 by blacksmith Julius Blum, who, after World War II, began
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march/april 2015 | greatercharlottebiz.com
Karl Rudisser President and CEO Blum Inc.
manufacturing horseshoe studs. At the time, horses were used in the area to pull the logs from the forest, and in winter, when the roads were icy, studs were incredibly helpful in traction control.” As the company grew and expanded, the U.S. market for furniture manufacturing was growing, centered around the Carolinas and Virginia—Hickory, N.C., in particular. Rudisser, a native of Austria, who is proud to have worked in virtually every position within the company during his tenure, was tasked with determining where Blum would best be positioned for breaking into the United States. “We began as a two-man team in Hickory during 1978, but by 1979, we moved to the
Charlotte area,” Rudisser explains. “Initially, we brought the products in from Austria, warehoused them here, and then started selling. Although the furniture market was strong in the Hickory area, after careful thought, that really wasn’t our target industry. As we expanded, both in the United States
“We will continue to listen to our customers, business partners and employees, constantly striving to refine and enhance what we do. Our goal will always be to lead in innovation at all levels, always to strive for more perfect motion.” and abroad, our eye was on serving kitchen designers and manufacturers as well as cabinetry professionals, with advanced concealed hinges, drawer systems, and seamless lift systems.” Eventually, Blum began to bring the manufacturing of its products to the current location in Stanley, N.C., taking small steps along the way. By the early 1990s, manufacturing had become a key element to Blum’s business model in the U.S. Today, Blum’s U.S. location boasts over 380 employees and is comprised of a number of buildings, including an 85-foot tall,