Let Us Tell You The Story Of The Chair's Birth
Designer
First of all, every chair is born in the designer’s mind. The designer then
puts this idea on paper, and creates a beautiful, timeless product for us.
Our design management team approves the product’s appearance, then the slow
birthing process can start.
CEO Milan
Personally buys local wood within a radius of about 200 km, and choosing only
the best, because top-quality wood is essential for us.
Woodworker
Works in the lumber store where uniform pieces of wood are prepared and monitors
their moisture content for up to five months.
Preparer
Prepares suitable wood for further processing: trims the ends, planes, sands, or
shortens pieces of wood depending on the chair model.
Woodbender
Steams wood in the kiln. Beech timber offers the best bending capacity and is
placed into saturated steam with a temperature of around 100 °C. The time
spent here is determined by the profile of the squared rod. One centimeter takes
one hour. When the wood is ready, a couple of benders bent the wood into the
demanded shape.
Quality inspector
Oversees bending quality. The inspector is mainly interested in the correct
shape and 3D curvature of the bend. The lignin content in the steamed wood makes
it behave like rubber for a few minutes, so the bentwood will take on a new
shape. The quality inspector particularly looks out for cracks or other
imperfections.
Warehouse wood keeper
Stores the bends in the air-conditioning chamber to rest. We can imagine this
place like a sauna for wood. The warehouse smells good and wood rests there for
about a month.
Machinist
Grinds, glues, presses, or drills into wooden parts, depending on the chair
model. A machinist is an experienced worker who is proficient in multiple types
of wood finishes.
Laser machinist or cane specialist
This phase depends on the type of chair. When it is chair with a cane weave, it
goes into the hands of the cane specialist, who incorporates a cane weave into
the chair frame, usually working with a hammer and a knife. For chairs with
laser holes (the 822 model), the laser machinist uses a laser to create uniform
holes positioned in perfect symmetry.
Quality inspector
Checks the correct spacing of lasered holes (for the 822 chair) or inspects the
precision of cane weaves, the angles and the colour shade.
Warehouse quality inspector
Controls quality and sorts the wooden parts by colour. This is important for
light-coloured products because the wood texture is not always desirable.
Laser machinist
Laser engraves Ton company logo or optional design for customer. It is usually
engraved on the back, visible side of the backrest, or on the seat cushion. This
option is mainly chosen by companies from the horeca sector.
Handler
Transports the parts throughout the factory.
Stainer
Separates pieces or chair assemblies travel to the staining room to be submerged
in special tanks. If the customer prefers natural wood colour, we can leave the
models in the natural shade and only varnish or oil them.
Quality inspector
Checks the colour uniformity. The staining process often reveals minor visual
defects in the decoration or bonding, so a careful inspection by an experienced
quality inspector is required.
Finaliser
When processed, the pieces are given their final shape manually at a designated
workstation (with a cane weave, plain, or upholstered). Our experienced staff
can put the No. 14 chair together in 90 seconds.
Lacquerer 1
We finish our products with lacquer or oil. Lacquering is done manually on a
special line, which guarantees no dust and ideal drying conditions. Lacquerer
1 applies the first coat of waterborne varnish in a dust-free environment with
ideal drying conditions.
Sander
Works on the first layer of paint to achieve a maximally smooth surface without
any defects.
Lacquerer 2
Second coat of waterborne varnish is applied after detailed sandering. The full
lacquering process lasts about 6 hours.
Upholster
Customers can choose the paint colour or material, or supply their own. The
upholstered seats and backrests of some models can be decorated with studs.
Exit control inspector
Conducts the final check of the chair’s overall appearance, the wood pattern,
bend quality, accuracy of laser engraving or machining of individual parts, and
how they are all put together.
Packer
Replaces the gliders from the factory, packs the product into an appropriate box
(each chair model has its own box to avoid the unnecessary use of excess
packaging), hangs the chair on a conveyor with straps, and sends it for
dispatch.
