Poulsbo-based Watson Furniture Group, the industry leader in function-first design and respectful manufacturing, has completed a multi-million-dollar expansion and process enhancement that includes a 10,000-square-foot warehouse, and new precision tooling on the factory floor.
The upgrades will improve capacity, reduce waste and safeguard the supply chain without compromising the refinement and reliability that Watson customers have come to expect from their best-in-class lines of office furniture, Watson president CK McKenzie says in a news release.
“While the market is slower, we’re taking the time to invest in more space, equipment and employee training,” McKenzie said. “We’re ready to run when the market bounces back.”
The changes build upon earlier supply-chain protections and production efficiencies that allowed the company to come out ahead after the COVID pandemic caused scarcities in material and manpower.
The new tooling focuses on process-critical equipment with “do-it-all” impacts – faster and more precise while being less wasteful. This includes BLM Group’s LT7 Lasertube Cutter, which delivers knife-edge cut quality with the flexibility to meet the aesthetic needs of small-batch customer demands, per the release.
The LT7 works in concert with BLM’s Elect 52 Steel Tube Bender to increase manufacturing accuracy and efficiency, even when engaged in bending special profiles. The Elect 52 achieves even the most complex and pleasing multi-directional bends by monitoring variations in material quality at each curve and making constant adjustments for dimensional accuracy.
Innovation also reaches Watson’s woodworking process. The Black Bros. Panel Express Heated Laminator System allows Watson to move from laminating into production without the need for additional curing or press time, the release states. By using environmentally friendly PVA adhesives, it eliminates the hazards and waste related to solvent-based contact adhesive methods.
When building the new warehouse, Watson considered not just the amount of new space, but how to use that space in service of customer needs, especially with a surge in return-to-office initiatives. So raw materials share the floor with finished products, reducing lead times from assembly through delivery.
The goal, McKenzie said, is to fulfill one of Watson’s core beliefs, “To do our best in our office so you can do your best in your office.”
Watson’s new LT7 Lasertube Cutter delivers knife-edge cut quality with the flexibility to meet the aesthetic needs of small-batch customer demands.
