Hentz Manufacturing doubling jobs

Published: July 17, 2012 3:00 a.m.

Plant doubling jobs to fill order

50 to 75 hires to sew 10,000+ beds

Sherry Slater | The Journal Gazette

A local manufacturer is hiring in a hurry.

Hentz Manufacturing LLC is doubling its workforce as it adds 50 to 75 jobs in cutting, sewing, warehousing and maintenance after receiving an order for more than 10,000 beds destined for military use.

Bob Hinty, Hentz’s owner, said he wants to fill the jobs “pretty much right away.”

Hinty now employs about 65 at the factory at 1530 Progress Road, where he employed 175 at the beginning of last year. Demand for company services varies significantly.

“We’ve had production go up and down in the past, but this looks a little more long-term,” he said.

Douglas Owen, CEO and co-owner of Disc-O-Bed, contracted with Hinty to sew 10,400 beds after receiving an order from the Defense Logistics Agency, which serves the U.S. military.

Federal contracts require that all fabric come from U.S. sources and all cutting and sewing be performed in the country, he said. The U.S. government is willing to pay a little more for products that meet those rules, he said.

“And that is why Bob (Hinty) is an integral part of my business plan to produce cost-effective goods here in the U.S.,” Owen said.

The beds sell for about $500 each, he said.

Georgia-based Disc-O-Bed also works with sewing production in South Africa and China, Owen said. But those products are sold to relief agencies and through retailers.

The bed design includes durable fabric stretched over a metal frame that uses discs at the corners, where frame parts meet. Disc-O-Beds, which can be stacked into bunk beds, are marketed as being easy to assemble. The military version includes pockets for storing personal items.