Martin Guitar Opens in Forks

Martin Guitar, the country’s leading acoustic guitar manufacturer showed off its new distribution center in Forks Township yesterday, located in the former building.

The decision to open the new center resulted from increased demand for Martin Guitar products worldwide, the company said. The new facility was explicitly designed to consolidate goods from several manufacturing sources and redistribute them around the world.

 “It’s an addition to our footprint. We now ship from three locations, and this building will serve as our [consolidated] distribution center," said Gregory Paul, Vice President of Corporate Operations for Martin Guitar.

Another focus of the newly renovated building was energy conservation. The facility boasts highly efficient lighting controlled by motion detectors, increased insulation, bicycle racks in its parking area and a walking path; all of which allow Martin to apply for Bronze Level LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental) Certification.

“We’re glad to be using an existing structure,” Paul said. “We value the creative re-use of buildings.”

Despite the exapnsion, the company said it was unlikely they would need to hire new employees.

Founded in 1833, Martin Guitar is the oldest maker of guitars in the world and serves a worldwide market. The company also sells strings and ukuleles. Some 7,000,000 strings were sold last year alone, according to Paul.