CHICAGO — Bretford Manufacturing, Inc.® has announced that it will wind down production of many of its traditional library and conference room products, effective April 30, 2014. Instead, Bretford will continue efforts on innovation in support of collaborative work and 21st century learning environments.
As of April 30, 2014, Bretford will no longer produce library shelving, circulation desks, carrels, reading tables, wood leg tables, Tru® and Presentation Environments® conference tables, and all products finished in wood veneer. They will accept orders on these products through January 31, 2014.
According to Chris Petrick, CEO for Bretford Manufacturing, Inc., “There has been a dramatic evolution in how spaces are being used in support of learning and work, especially traditional libraries and conference rooms. Today, educators are challenged with providing the optimal environment to support collaboration, technology and high impact learning. Over the last year, we have experienced exponential demand for our EDU 2.0 furniture line and a significantly diminished demand for traditional library shelving and conference room solutions. For these reasons, we are staying focused on the development of furniture designed to support technology in high-impact learning spaces.”
Petrick explained that Bretford continues to ramp up production of its EDU 2.0 line of furniture, which has gained significant traction primarily in schools looking to create 21st century learning spaces. “Bretford has been in business for nearly 70 years and during that time we have adapted frequently to stay in front of the marketplace. This is not a decision we ventured into lightly. We are fully assisting our customers through this transition and are well-positioned to offer a robust product portfolio coupled with an extensive product roadmap that concentrates on supporting mobile technologies in classrooms, media centers, corporate learning environments and common areas.”
All customer questions should be directed to a local Bretford regional manager or by calling the Bretford Customer Care line at 800-521-9614 or [email protected]. The Bretford Project Design Team can also assist with specific projects.