Panel Concepts’ Unit Moving to N.C.

Panel Concepts, a furniture maker based here, has announced plans to discontinue manufacturing of wood products in Buena Park and move those operations to Greensboro, N.C., at the end of this year.

The Buena Park branch has 58 workers who have been offered jobs in North Carolina, said company President Van Jacobsen. It is not known how many employees will relocate.

Panel Concepts, a subsidiary of home builder Standard Pacific, makes wood and metal office furniture. Its 133,000-square-foot Buena Park facility makes wood furniture, while the Santa Ana and Greensboro locations manufacture only metal products.

Panel Concepts will continue to manufacture metal furniture at its Santa Ana headquarters. The 15-year-old company reported revenue of $29 million in 1990. It has rented space in Buena Park since 1984, but owns the facility in Greensboro. “We are eliminating the expense of operating a plant that can be accommodated at an already existing facility,” Jacobsen said.