Wide open spaces for building very large furniture (top images), a special base building station (center images) and improved employee relations and teamwork are among the improvements that came with the new factory.

A much improved factory

Like so many at WallGoldfinger, Michael Spencer has spent decades at the furniture maker, working his way through the ranks over 29 years to his current position of chief operating officer and vice president of production. Mike oversees the physical plant and the whole production team, but as a member of the administrative team also spends much of his day in the office. So who better to ask about the improvements found in this new factory?

 

Before the move to Randolph, WallGoldfinger called an aging mill in Northfield its home. The factory spanned multiple floors and was added onto over the years, creating an increasingly inefficient space. Furniture moved between floors throughout its process from start to finish, and was built around support columns that stood in the way. Floors were uneven, work spaces cramped and movements inefficient.

 

The new space couldn't be more different. Situated on one story, the building had potential that was only broadened by careful planning to create not just a nice space, but an efficient, usable space.

 

"We spent a lot of time determining the overall layout of the new space and how each area was to be laid out so that it could be as efficient as possible," Mike explains.

 

The spacious, open floor office plan improves communication, Mike tells us, and the factory itself is laid out with a "flow through strategy." Materials, for example, come in one end of the building and leave through the other in the form of finished furniture.

 

One location has been created for bulk sheet goods, which are easily moved by one person because of a lift system added over the storage area.

 

Essential services, like CNC, and equipment, like the beloved tag sander, are centrally located because of their importance and how work moves back and forth between these areas and veneer and woodworking.

 

In woodworking, "big open spaces were planned in to accommodate the very large furniture we build," Mike notes.

 

There are specially designed areas for pedestal base building, sanding and safe storage of completed furniture awaiting finish.

 

"Waste materials are easier to dispose of into Dumpsters because of the walkout dock," Mike says. And a sealed loading dock was included to keep weather out when loading finished furniture.

 

Beyond the physical, "we've worked hard to standardize and document nomenclature and building techniques since we've been in this space," Mike says. "We've got very good people! Folks get along better than they ever have since I've been here."