Wieland Designs, Inc.

What Wieland Designs, Inc. does

Wieland Designs, Inc. (WDI) is a private OEM manufacturer of custom upholstered seating and furniture, founded in 1976 by Cliff Wieland in Goshen, Indiana. The company operates an embedded B2B model, acting as an extension of its clients' brands and integrating with their people and processes to design, engineer, and manufacture custom products from concept to completion. It serves three primary verticals: marine seating (via its wholly-owned sub-brand Wieland Motion, which produces the REVOLUTION helm chair and pontoon kits), contract furniture (via SIXINCH USA, acquired in 2012), and medical/dental furniture, with named reference projects for Under Armour, Ford/RECARO (Ford Cobra Mustang seating), and Florence Knoll's 1954 Lounge Collection.

WDI's manufacturing stack is anchored in precision CAD/CAM technology, including Gerber CNC leather and textile cutters that digitize natural hide flaws to maximize material utilization, Solidworks 3D CAD stations, and Gerber/Pathfinder 2D CAD stations. The engineering organization consists of 14 associates spanning 3D solid modeling, prototyping, pattern development, structural engineering, and product testing/validation, with compliance capabilities covering FEMA, PPAP, burn certification, cycle testing, medical device certification, and FMVSS. Revenue is generated through quote-based one-off OEM programs rather than subscription or licensing arrangements, with no public pricing disclosed and no e-commerce or retail channel; distribution is exclusively direct to enterprise customers.

The company has scaled from a 1,500 SF van-seat shop to 200+ employees under CEO Kip Wieland (in role since 2006), with no disclosed venture or institutional capital, suggesting founder/family ownership. Geographic footprint remains domestic (single Goshen headquarters), though the 2018 opening of a SIXINCH USA showroom in Chicago's Merchandise Mart represents a modest commercial expansion. Leadership includes CFO James Evans alongside Director of Manufacturing Emilio Zapata (22 years tenure), Marine Program Director Braeden Hilbish, Senior Designer Dave Behles, Quality Manager Randall Bond, and Program Manager Nikki Price.

Name

Wieland Designs, Inc.

Legal name

Wieland Designs, Inc.

Website

https://wielanddesigns.com

Company type

Private

Founded year

1976

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

251–500 employees

Short description

Wieland Designs is a family-owned OEM manufacturer founded in 1976 that designs, engineers, and produces custom upholstered seating and furniture for marine (Wieland Motion), contract (SIXINCH USA), and medical markets from its Goshen, Indiana facility.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

OEM Custom Seating and Furniture Manufacturing

NAICS

Upholstered Household Furniture Manufacturing (337121), Office Furniture (including Fixtures) Manufacturing (3372), Institutional Furniture Manufacturing (337127)

SIC

Household Furniture (2510), Miscellaneous Furniture & Fixtures (2590)

akta.pro primary industry

Industrial/Product & Furniture Design (BPAHAKAM)

Keywords

• Custom furniture manufacturing
• OEM seating solutions
• Contract furniture design
• Marine seating products
• Upholstered furniture engineering

Headquarters

HQ city

Goshen

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Hardware or Manufacturing

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Supply Chain, Technology or R&D, Infrastructure, Marketing or Sales

Revenue model

1. OEM Manufacturing and Custom Product Development: Design, engineering, and manufacturing of custom seating and furniture products as an OEM partner. Includes prototyping, pattern development, precision cutting (leather/textile), and sewing services.

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels1 record

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Wieland Designs is an OEM custom seating and furniture manufacturer that designs, engineers, and produces upholstered furniture for enterprise clients across the furniture, medical/dental, and marine verticals. The company operates as an embedded partner, integrating with customer brands to develop products from concept through production, supported by in-house prototyping, precision CNC cutting, engineering, and sewing capabilities. Its portfolio includes the Wieland Motion marine seating sub-brand and the SIXINCH USA contract furniture brand.

Product overview

Wieland Designs is a furniture and seating manufacturer founded in 1976, operating primarily through its sub-brand Wieland Motion (marine helm chairs and pontoon kits) and acquired brand SIXINCH USA (contract furniture). The company offers a comprehensive suite of services spanning product development, engineering (14 associates using Gerber/Pathfinder 2D CAD and Solidworks 3D CAD), and sewing capabilities. Manufacturing capabilities include 2D-3D prototyping, 2D patterning, precision leather cutting using Gerber CNC technology, and precision textile cutting. The company serves markets including furniture OEM, medical furniture, and marine seating, with notable customer projects including Under Armour retail environments, Ford Mustang Recaro seating, and Florence Knoll furniture.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Brands

• Wieland Motion: Marine seating brand featuring Helm Chairs and Pontoon Kits for Pontoon Boats, Power Boats, and Fishing Boats. Features the REVOLUTION helm chair, the only helm chair with motorsport DNA.

Products and services

• Wieland Motion (Marine Seating Sub-brand) Marine seating brand featuring the REVOLUTION helm chair with motorsport DNA, along with Pontoon Kits. Products include highly customizable seating solutions for pontoon boats, power boats, and fishing boats.
• SIXINCH USA (Contract Furniture Brand) Contract furniture brand acquired by Wieland Designs in 2012, positioned as a contract furniture leader with a Chicago showroom at the Merchandise Mart. Notable projects include custom seating and benching in Under Armour retail environments.
• Custom Furniture Design and Manufacturing OEM partner and developer of select designer furniture brands, medical furniture, commercial seating, and custom furniture solutions. Wieland acts as an extension of the customer's brand, integrating with their people and processes to develop products from concept to completion.
• Product Development Services In-house design and industrial design services including structural design, functionality and aesthetic design, compliance engineering, product documentation, and validation capabilities.
• Engineering Services Engineering services provided by 14 engineering associates covering 3D solid modeling, prototyping, pattern development, structural engineering, and product testing and validation. Delivered using Gerber, Pathfinder 2D CAD, and Solidworks 3D CAD stations.
• Sewing Services Industry-leading sewing capabilities for fabrics, vinyls, and leathers with precision stitching for furniture and seating products.

Quantifiable outcome

• High material utilization and lower waste through Gerber CNC digitization of leather hides
• +1 more outcomes

Named customers4 records

Segments3 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature5 records

Partnerships

Two partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• SIXINCH USAcoreStrategic or Co-development Partner · 1 January 2012Wieland Designs purchased ownership of SIXINCH USA in 2012, positioning it as a contract furniture leader with a showroom opened in Chicago's Merchandise Mart in 2018. Under Armour project featured custom seating and benching in retail environments.
• RECAROcoreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWDI produces custom factory seating for the Ford Cobra Mustang in partnership with RECARO. WDI also works with Wieland Motion for custom marine seating solutions.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves8 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Flexsteel Industries: Flexsteel is a manufacturer of upholstered furniture and OEM seating, with a product line and B2B contract posture that closely mirrors Wieland's OEM model. Most directly comparable on the upholstered household furniture / contract seating axis.
• Kimball International: Kimball manufactures furniture across hospitality, healthcare, contract, and government channels with strong design and engineering capabilities - a multi-vertical OEM-style manufacturer with a comparable vertical mix (medical, contract, residential) to Wieland.
• La-Z-Boy Incorporated: La-Z-Boy is a leading upholstered furniture manufacturer whose core competency in sewn-and-upholstered seating, leather/textile fabrication, and OEM-style production maps directly to Wieland's manufacturing focus. Comparable in product and category, with a much larger retail footprint.
• Bassett Furniture Industries: Bassett is a vertically integrated custom furniture manufacturer with a custom upholstery program (Bassett Custom) that closely mirrors Wieland's made-to-order furniture and OEM seating model. Comparable on custom upholstery, design services, and craft-based production.
• RECARO: RECARO is a global manufacturer of automotive, motorsport, and aviation seating - a direct peer in automotive/marine performance seating. Wieland already produces Ford Cobra Mustang seating in partnership with RECARO, but RECARO's own seating business competes with Wieland Motion in marine helm chairs.
• Wise Company (Wise Seats): Wise is a leading OEM manufacturer of marine seating - helm chairs, pedestal seats, and pontoon furniture. Most directly comparable to Wieland Motion's marine business on product category, customer base (boat builders), and OEM channel.

Broad incumbents

• Haworth Inc. Privately held global leader in contract and office furniture with deep custom capabilities and a design-led product portfolio. Overlaps with Wieland's contract furniture (SIXINCH) and OEM development work, but operates at significantly larger scale and across a broader category footprint.
• Steelcase Inc. Steelcase is a publicly traded office furniture and workplace solutions company with a contract/manufacturing model that overlaps with Wieland's commercial and contract seating work via SIXINCH USA. Comparable in workplace/contract furniture category but much larger and more diversified.
• MillerKnoll: MillerKnoll (formerly Herman Miller) is a publicly traded design-led office and contract furniture conglomerate. Comparable on contract furniture and design-driven OEM/contract production through brands like Knoll (relevant given Wieland's Florence Knoll heritage project), but operates at far greater scale and category breadth.
• HNI Corporation: HNI is a publicly traded office furniture manufacturer (HON, Allsteel, Gunlocke) with a contract and OEM posture in workplace seating. Comparable on contract/commercial furniture manufacturing and OEM/embedded distribution model relevant to Wieland's SIXINCH USA business.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat5 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

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Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles7 records

Subsidiaries2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Wieland Designs, Inc.