Heavy-Duty Stitches Harrison Machine Manufacturers Have Market Sewn Up

What in the world - besides peace and quiet - could this town of 220 produce more of than Los Angeles?

Sewing machines.

These are not your mother’s sewing machines. Not unless your mother stitches up saddles or airplane parts.

“We produce more heavy-leather stitchers in the little town of Harrison, Idaho, than any other place in the United States,” said Ferdinand JeanBlanc.

People on opposite shores of Lake Coeur d’Alene may not be aware that this is a stitchery hotbed, but the town has an international reputation that is likely to grow. Both JeanBlanc’s company and his competitor down the street are busting their buttons over new products.

“I’m hoping this is the beginning of something big,” said Glenn Bissaillon of Ferdinand, Inc., which just began producing a husky stitcher called the No. 9.

JeanBlanc started Ferdinand, Inc., but had a parting of ways with his financial backers. Now, he’s suing them for back wages and stock payments, and competing with them through his new company, Ferdco.

Ferdco is housed between the post office and ice cream store. It employs eight people. So does Ferdinand, Inc., which sits between the park and the cafe.

Ferdinand’s could win an industry award just for its five-star lake view. Golden tamaracks and wind-whipped water draw the eyes of visitors to the machine shop.

But during an interview, Bissaillon was focused on the No. 9, his 130-pound “baby.”

He designed it, outfitting an old harness stitcher with a new streamlined shuttle. (That’s the part that holds the bobbin, and slides back and forth under the needle.) It has a hand crank, which many craftsmen like for the control it gives them

“This will be used mostly in saddle making. It’s a low speed, precision machine,” said Bissaillon.

He’s counting on sales to craftsmen who have only been able to fix, not replace, their aging machines.

He explained that, after farmers got tractors, there was less need for stitching horse harnesses. After World War II, companies stopped making heavy-duty machines.

JeanBlanc repaired a lot of the old ones, and designed a very successful machine called the “Bull.” Ferdinand still makes the Bull. But Bissaillon expects his No. 9 to become the new bread-and-butter product.

It costs $2,995; the motorized stand is another $500. Ferdinand has 50 orders for them, without doing any advertising outside of trade shows, Bissaillon said.

He’s proud of the fact that all the parts are American made, except for a Japanese shuttle assembly. He’s working on replacing that.

Bissaillon thinks the No. 9 will do well against the industrial machine manufacturers in Germany (Adler) and Japan (Juki and Seiko). He’s hoping that China, with its less sturdy but cheaper products, will decide against competing in this particular niche.

“We’re looking at sustainable sales of 20 machines a month in the U.S.; Europe is a good market,” he said. He hopes international business will match that eventually.

JeanBlanc is also bullish on the international market. He ships machines from Australia to Sweden.

“We won the Great American Stitch-off against all of the world’s best stitchers,” he bragged.

JeanBlanc doesn’t think the demand for heavy-duty machines will ever run out. Sporting goods companies will always have ball mitts to stitch. Then there’s all those retired doctors and others who’ve “always wanted to work with leather,” and have home shops.

Besides, someone is always inventing something that needs to be stitched. JeanBlanc leaves today for Los Angeles, where McDonnell Douglas is using stitched layers of carbon composite fabric in the “skin” of its Blended Wing Body passenger jet.

“Last year, the first commercial airliner that flew with sewn composites was sewn on one of our machines,” JeanBlanc said.

Neither JeanBlanc nor Bissaillon sees any drawbacks to being based in Harrison, except the small additional freight expense.

Harrison’s benefits come readily to mind.

“The rent is cheap and it’s a beautiful place to work,” Bissaillon said. “There’s some real nice people here.”

As for the sewing machine business, JeanBlanc said he’s been in it for 30 years and it’s better than ever.

What’s the most challenging part of it?

He answered, with a chuckle: “Keeping ahead of the competition.”

, DataTimes ILLUSTRATION: 2 Color Photos