National Hardwood Magazine - July 2012

The Crafting Of Witmer

The Crafting Of Witmer Furniture Company Abbotsford, Wis.–Wood never had it so good as the furniture pieces made at Witmer Furniture, based here. The company possesses all the characteristics of a model company and has been officially acknowledged as such on occasion. In 2001 and 2004, Witmer Furniture was nominated for the Wisconsin Manufacturer of the Year award. To boot, said company president, Kevin Schlinkmann, “We have not shown a decrease in business in 10 years.” Last year’s production was up 35 percent, topping as usual the desired 15 percent growth rate. Not a bad state of affairs for the economic times. Schlinkmann attributed the company status to a list of factors that covers all the bases. “We work hard, have a good product that we stand behind, have good customer service, a very competitive price and deliver all product in three to four weeks.” Yet there’s more to the story. The wood species most in demand for Witmer products are Birch and Oak, though Cherry is also part of the product line, as well as Poplar, most popular for lower end collections. All the lumber used is graded No. 1 Common in 5/4 or 4/4 thicknesses. Schlinkmann’s succinct summation of what’s behind the company’s continued success is indicative of the preferred approach to the manufacturing process. “We’ve always been lean,” he said. “Now we’re getting more specific, using value stream mapping, going through every procedure or process to be more efficient and quicker.” Vice President of Manufacturing Casey Johnson is in charge of the process, with guidance from a consulting company. The transition to lean at all points applies also to inventory. Schlinkmann purchases upwards of 800,000 board feet of lumber for the production of furniture, the bulk of which is residential solid wood lines. He noted, “We’ve operated on adjusted time inventory so we don’t carry much and order every three days. In transitioning to lean, we’d like to get to two day raw inventory on hand.” The location of the business is an advantage Schlinkmann and his father, Terry Schlinkmann, now retired, didn’t miss when they were looking for a profitable existing business to purchase back in 1992. Centrally located in the United States, shipping in any direction is easily accessible. The company was originally located in Riplinger, Wis., and founded in 1981 by Ken Witmer, a Mennonite carpenter, who began building bedroom suites in his garage for a furniture store when he became frustrated with housing market volatility. He expanded the garage outward as he added dealers and employees, until he was called to start a Mennonite Church and sold the company to the Schlinkmanns. By 1995 the old factory, filled to capacity, was replaced by a new 50,000-square-foot facility at the current location. As the company grew, product broadened from bedroom into dining, occasional, home office and entertainment furniture, which is sold in furniture stores across the country, though some directly to commercial clients such as colleges, libraries and assisted living centers. As performance is groomed through all lean processes –eliminating a second here and there in time– the facility, too, is upgraded as needed. An improved level of energy efficiency was achieved recently through installation of energy efficient plant lighting and a new air compressor that shuts down when not in use. No particleboard comes near Witmer Furniture. Occasionally MDF, yet primarily plywood, is used on the sides of furniture in most collections. All incoming lumber is tested for moisture content and sorted for color consistency. Large machinery used pre-assembly within Busellato CNC Machining Centers include Stiles Rip Saws, Radio Frequency Gluers, SCMI Wide Belt Sanders, and for small-scale pieces such as BY CLARE ADRIAN dovetailed drawers: Dodds equipment, Bridgeport moulders and several Ritter Shaping machines. Mass production stops there. Prepping, assembly, and finish are done by hand. All furniture is bench-built, made to order, said Schlinkmann. Retailers choose the stock, customers choose style, wood species, hardware and stain color. That good customer service Schlinkmann was talking about is on 24/7 for retail stores, both independent and chain stores, small mom and pops to mega boxes, serving up mid-price product lines to high-end lines for appeal in top 100 stores. Schlinkmann is on hand himself. “A retailer can call when a customer is in the store to help close a deal. Also if a customer comes in for a bed six inches shorter or a foot taller dresser, we’ll make it.” Schlinkmann doesn’t see a need to expend the cost of exhibiting at trade shows when shipping a sample or even a whole set for a customer to review on location and receiving it back is less costly. The design engineering staff develops two to five new lines every year, implementing various stains and other wood finishes, adding to a floating average of 14 lines. Demand for Witmer Furniture is a testament to its quality while maintaining affordability, as well as to the 53 employees responsible for building it. “We have a good core group of employees, many here over 15 years, who have a good work ethic, and we have a good sales force. They’re strong in every aspect,” affirmed Schlinkmann. Always looking to grow, there’s no intention to expand the facility, rather evaluate equipment and purchase it, if growing from year to year. An update in the recent past was new finishing equipment, more hand tools per work cells and a Unique door machine. Though not expanding may seem counterintuitive to continued growth, a captain nevertheless knows there’s no need for a bigger ship, only to tighten it up. Contact Witmer Furniture at 715-223- 6622 or through the website, www.witmerfurniture.com. 22 Hardwoods...The All-Purpose Material

Witmer Furniture President Kevin Schlinkmann and Vice President of Manufacturing Casey Johnson lead this Abbotsford, Wis., furniture manufacturing company. The wood species most in demand for Witmer products are Birch and Oak, though Cherry is also part of the product line, as well as Poplar. All the lumber used by Witmer is graded No. 1 Common in 5/4 or 4/4 thicknesses. Schlinkmann purchases upwards of 800,000 board feet of lumber for the production of Witmer furniture, the bulk of which is residential solid wood lines. Pictured left is the SCMI Sander, but Witmer also uses the following to produce its furniture: Stiles Rip Saws, Radio Frequency Gluers, and for small-scale pieces such as dovetailed drawers, Dodds equipment, Bridgeport moulders and several Ritter Shaping machines. From Witmer’s 50,000-square-foot facility, delivery of products ordered occurs within three to four weeks. JULY/2012 23