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Modern technology and versatile finishes enable mass production of office furniture

By August 19, 2014September 29th, 2014Manufacturing, Office Furniture, Steel Office Furniture

Wood Southern Africa and Timber Times visited the largest South African manufacturer of office furniture, Entrawood.

Another major change included the installation of a melamine pressing plant. Steyn explains that Entrawood opted for a melamine press because it enables the company to operate independently, improve quality control, reduce stockholding and it also gives the company the freedom to choose its own melamine designs and adapt them according to changing trends.

The melamine press plant has been in operation since October 2009 and has the capacity to press 600 to 700 boards daily. It heats up to 200 C° to fuse the 80 g melamine formaldehyde impregnated paper onto the board.

Entrawood buys chipboard and medium density fibreboard in thicknesses of 3 mm to 32 mm from large suppliers like PG Bison and Sonae Novaboard. It imports its melamine papers from Impress in Austria and DKB in Germany.

The melamine papers are shipped in special packaging containing about 1 800 sheets per box. Once removed from the packaging the melamine sheets are stored in a cold room to ensure that the resin is not activated by heat.

Eight colours, of which some are unique melamine designs, are offered by Entrawood. These include White, Natural Oak, Burgundy Mahogany, Vancouver Maple, Graphite and three new modern designs American Cherry, Ferrara Oak and Platinum Wenge.
Entrawood’s new Ferrara Oak and Platinum Wenge finishes are in line with current office furniture trends, which lean towards light natural coloured finishes and light to grey natural wood finishes.

Panel processing

Entrawood made a massive investment into high-end woodworking machines from local suppliers such as Hüster Machinetool Company, Donald Fuchs Machinery and Round Equipment and Machines (REM).
These machines include a Holzher Cut 6120 and a Holzher Cut 6210 beam saw with a Barbaric automatic board handling and storage system, a Paul OTT Shark Quattroline edgebander with Translift board handling system, a Homag Venture 22L computer numerical control (CNC) machining centre, a Weeke BHC 550 and two Weeke BHX 055 Optimat CNCs.

The panel processing production line starts with the organisation and sizing of boards.

The Barbaric system organises and stores boards in various stacks on a dedicated floor space. The system memorises the position of various coloured and sized boards and retrieves them as cutting jobs are called up on the system. With its overhead crane, scissor lift arm and vacuum suction cups it lifts and moves boards to feed the two beam saws from the back.

Steyn explains that this is a highly effective system that increases productivity by reducing time spent on locating and moving boards for cutting. He says the Barbaric system uses air suction to handle the boards resulting in less defects.

“When boards need to be manually retrieved from stacks they are often scratched or damaged. The Barbaric system gently lifts boards as opposed to pulling or pushing boards.”

Further, off-cuts can also be submitted back into the storage system and it will inform the operator when a job suited for an off-cut is coming up.

The Holzher beam saws are high-end models designed for high-production environments. The saws process board sizes from 3 mm to 32 mm.

The Austrian manufactured Barbaric board handling and storage system and the Holzher Cut 6120 were installed three years ago by Hüster Machinetool Company.

Boards then move to the edging line where a Paul OTT Shark Quattroline edgebander with Translift board handling system applies acrylonitrile butadiene styrene edging of 1.5 mm thick. This high-end edgebander achieves a high quality water resistant edge using polyurethane glue. The adhesive ensures a superior strength bond with good elasticity and high water resistance.
Further, a significant amount of machining is done with components being grooved, routed and drilled. The accuracy of holes and grooves is of utmost importance as components are shipped flat-pack for do-it-yourself assembly by clients. If any holes are poorly drilled or placed inaccurately, the customer will not be able to assemble his product.Up to 80% of the grooving is done on the edgebander but most of the drilling is done on two Weeke BHX 055 Optimat machining centres.These compact versatile machines feature 13 vertical drilling spindles, a 5 kW HSK 63 router motor with three or four tool changing places and a 3.050 mm working length.In terms of handling, the BHX 055 offers automatic workpiece thickness adjustment through pneumatic clamping, which ensures the workpiece is securely and automatically clamped to within a 10 mm tolerance.The BHX 055 has a quick-change drilling system which makes the drill bits easier to change without the need of additional tools. Another feature is the drive’s motor that has an impressive 2.3 kW output ensuring fast drilling speeds of about 1.6 drilling cycles each second.One of the BHX 055 Optimats was commissioned at the end of last year.
Further, Entrawood also operates a Homag Venture 22L CNC and a Weeke BHC 550, with the Venture 22L equipped to do corner edging as well. These heavy-duty console machining centres can drill, rout and groove and even though one of them has been in operation since 2006 they still operate smoothly. Donald Fuchs Machinery supplied the Homag and Weeke machines.

Labelling system and software

Entrawood uses sophisticated computer aided manufacturing (CAM) and enterprise resource planning (ERP) software that was developed in-houseSteyn explains that the company developed its own software and adapts it as production demand change.

The software streamlines processes by enabling many departments to work together effortlessly. Computerised processes include everything from order taking and cutting lists to quotations and component specifications.

The integrated production systems also generates labels at the start of the production process which are placed on the various components. This label shows information on the component’s size and colour. The component is also issued with a job number and machine operators can see which components require edging and machining.

This system organises workflow and keeps production running smoothly. It also helps the factory staff to keep track of components ensuring all components for a specific job stay together.
Steyn says this is especially important for high-production environments.

In future, Entrawood will also consider employing a barcode scanning system to run in conjunction with its current CAM and ERP system.

Products, packaging and shipment

After machining, inspection and quality control work is done before components are either assembled or wrapped in Entrawood’s signature branded packaging.

Some furniture is shipped ready-built, but the majority is packaged with all its hardware components.
Entrawood has as an extensive product range of panel desks, mobile and stationary drawers, filing cabinets, bookcases, reception desks, training benches, screens and many more. It also manufacturers a new modern range melamine and steel combination furniture which are branded as the Evolution and Adventure Ranges.

This range features sophisticated finishes in aluminium grey and white steel components.
Entrawood benefits from the steel specialisation of its sister company Entrakor. Even though Entrakor produces mainly steel framed chairs, it also provides Entrawood with extensive steel understructure ranges for the modern corporate furniture.
A new folding leg frame system from Entrakor has enabled Entakor in combination with Entrawood to produce fold-up tables for company events and meeting or training rooms. These fold-up frames are fitted to tables before shipment and the company benefits from being able to transport many of these tables simultaneously.

Entrakor is well-equipped with metal drilling and bending machines, large jigging tables, a semi-automatic spraying booth and curing booth as well as a high-tech robotic welding arm from Panasonic.
A medium sized group of staff drill, weld, bend, wash, spray and assemble the steel frame chairs while an upholstery division does everything from sewing to gluing jobs.

Entrakor is able to utilize off-cuts from Entrawood incorporating it into various products. This saves on material costs and reduces waste, which supports environmental sustainability.

Econocom is the sole marketer of the Entrawood and Entrakor products.  The companies have a 25 year relationship that started with their inception. The design department are responsible for product development and keeping an eye on international industry trends to ensure Entrawood and Entrakor products stay relevant to the ever evolving office environment. They also have 2D and 3D rendering capabilities, and can assist dealer partners with space planning and 3D presentations.

Further, Entrawood have a large network of dealer partners and delivers its products countrywide making use of Redbow’s transport services to deliver products undamaged and on time.
Entrawood’s products are distributed through local wholesalers Makro and Waltons and CN Office Furniture and various general dealers throughout the country.

Both Entrawood and Entrakor have scored over 80% on their Quality Development Audit conducted by The South African Bureau of Standards. The companies promise high-quality products, backed up by five year guarantee on all manufacturing.

From: Wood SA July 2014.