Fellowes, the corporation that owns the former Trendway Corp. in Holland Township, Michigan, plans to shutter its Holland plant and will permanently lay off 117 employees, according to a Crain's Grand Rapids report. The contract furniture manufacturer, which was founded in 1968 in the Holland area, plans to wind down operations by the end of the month, according to the report.

 Workplace furnishings giant Fellowes announced in February several changes to its Contract Furniture division, including the closure of the Holland production facility in 2024 and the discontinuation of a portion of its furniture product offerings, including systems, casegoods, filing, storage and tables.

In February, Fellowes said it would continue to accept orders of these discontinued products until June and ship orders through July 2024. Further communication is being provided to customers to support the transition.

Fellowes acquired Trendway in 2019. The company said despite significant investments in equipment and process upgrades, including ERP and WMS systems, "it was ultimately decided the business was in an unrecoverable condition."

“We are saddened by the impact this decision has on our customers and our valued employees.  Unfortunately, Fellowes has now reached the point of exhausting its resources and support while still experiencing meaningful shortfalls to our brand promise and financial responsibility in this area of our business.  As difficult as it is, we must face our reality and plan a future which confronts and definitively resolves these challenges”, said John Fellowes, CEO of Fellowes.  

Fellowes added, “We are truly grateful for the many employees that have supported this operation, some for decades.  The dedication of our employees has been displayed in many ways through these difficult times and I would like to express gratitude and appreciation from our entire Fellowes team.  Despite our significant losses in this operation, in the coming months, we will help our employees make their personal transitions in a way that is consistent with our values, and wish each employee impacted the best outcome possible.”