Custom Shop
The retail market has been strong for Madsen Fixture and Millwork in Forest Lake, MN, since its start in January of 1998. Beginning with a crew of only six, 62 employees now manufacture production store fixture runs as well as custom projects in its 60,000-sq.-ft. facility. “Our biggest challenge has always been helping our production capabilities keep pace with sales,” says Jeff Trippe, CEO and owner. “The work keeps flowing in so we just try to grow with the flow. The retail market has offered us a lot of diversity, and we’re very happy with the way things are going.”

Finish Line
Why can’t we get the color right the first time we do it? What went wrong? Who gets fired? All sensible questions so let’s get to a solution now that we recognize there is a problem. Color is seen differently by each individual. If a group of individuals were asked to imagine a red apple and then requested to select from a variety of red color swatches, not everyone would pick the same red swatch. That’s fact!
Since we are all on the same page let’s review some terminology.

Hot Gear
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Material Issues
An art deco desk built with ebony and pearwood veneers was chosen as the top entry in the second annual Veneer Technologies Craftsman’s competition, announced in Atlanta during the 2006 IWF® trade show. Kent Townsend of Kent Townsend Fine Furniture in Salida, CO, was awarded the $5,000 grand prize for excellence in woodwork featuring natural veneer and/or natural edgebanding application.

Production Line
When buying new machinery, most companies are careful to consider available floor space and how the new machine will fit into the existing production flow. When adding a new C.R. Onsrud Panel Pro CNC router with twin 5’x12’ tables, W.W. Wood Products had all its bases covered, or so the company thought.

Proving Ground
With more than 300 employees and a global customer base, Eugene, Ore.-based Lanz Cabinets is hardly your typical custom cabinet company.

Sanding Sense
Common sense might lead one to believe that a simple 100-grit abrasive belt can be freely interchanged between different brands without making machine adjustments. The reality is that this should “NEVER” be done.

Supply Side
Adhesives manufacturers are seeing both opportunities and challenges in today’s onslaught of increased regulatory pressures. Environmentally friendly adhesives are being specified more and more often by architects and contractors, spurring wood products manufacturers to seek alternatives to high emission adhesives.

Think Lean
A lean culture is one full of paradox. Companies with a practiced lean culture have what may seem as strange practices. For example, team members performing the day-to-day work develop standardized work. However, with standardized work, standards change all the time. Lean companies do not make something unless a customer has ordered it.

Trends
Motion mechanisms in furniture have been around for awhile, but these innovative devices are following the market trends that electronic advances, aging populations and affluent lifestyles are demanding. The phrase “comforts of home” takes on a new meaning with easy touch movement.


Trends Extra
Woodworking equipment purchases cool slightly in 2005. While most categories held steady or increased, overall acquisitions of woodworking equipment decreased by 3 percent in 2005 over 2004 numbers. A healthy economy along with continuing strong housing and remodeling markets bode well for 2006 increased buying power.

Trends Wood Bits
SCM Group Spa and Delmac Spa have reached an agreement for SCM Group to acquire the majority share of Delmac. With this investment in Delmac, The SCM Group will considerably strengthen its position as one of the prime leaders of the world’s woodworking machinery sector, says the company.

Words of Wisdom
As of this writing, Toyota Motor Corp. has just reported a 25 percent year-over-year sales increase in the U.S. marketplace, thrashing the sales volume of domestic auto manufacturers. Health care costs and pension obligations are undoubtedly major factors contributing to the financial woes U.S. automakers like GM are currently experiencing, but perhaps at the forefront is the fact that they have been designing cars many consumers just don’t want.