Cast Classics (Lyndhurst, New Jersey), a manufacturer of luxury outdoor furniture, has inked a deal that will result in a dramatic increase in production for the 2014 season. Cast Classics and Shanghai Metalworks have formed a joint venture with Zhengte Leisure Products, Ltd., a longtime subvendor owned by Yunghai Chen. The parties have created a new entity in China and constructed a new state-of-the-art manufacturing facility, located about four hours’ drive north of the current Shanghai Metalworks site. “We have found it increasingly difficult to add capacity as demand has grown for our product over the past few years, and this will relieve us of this restraint, once and for all,” Al Arad, president of Cast Classics, observes.

The new facility began operating in April and will run parallel to the current facility for the first few months. All equipment and staff from the current facility will eventually be moved to the new location, when it is completely up to speed. “The employee retention is far greater than we could have ever anticipated. Nearly 90% of our current team will be making the migration to the new facility, once all is said and done. This is an amazing percentage, and we are very grateful,” Arad says.

“In addition, we have made a substantial capital investment in new, state-ofthe- art equipment and technology. Not only will our capacity be greater, moving forward, but so will our technical manufacturing capabilities,” Arad says. “We are excited about the possibilities.” For more information, call Cast Classics at (201) 896-1515 or email info@castclassics.com.