Machinery Replacement in the Furniture Plant

The average furniture plant uses both machines and methods which are often unsuitable and obsolete, and manufacturers have been notoriously reluctant to try anything new. Modern plants are planning layouts to place machinery and equipment for increased efficiency, and traditional plants will have to become more efficient to compete. The chief justification for replacement of old machinery is increased production to the point at which prime costs, materials and labor are materially reduced. There is no justification for using machinery until it is worn out. Though it may be necessary for the small plant to start with used or rebuilt machinery, there is a point at which improved performance is necessary, and if the original machinery is retained at this point the business will fail. Reliably rebuilt machinery can be more profitable to operate than obsolete worn-out machinery. Machinery replacement in the small plant usually brings best results in the rough mill, or in single machine operations where work is handled and machined in large quantities, or where a single multi-purpose machine is adapted to a variety of operations. Replacement does not mean that the older equipment is junked: it can be used as standby equipment for overload periods. To set up an organized plan for machinery replacement, determine which machines are more than 10 years old. Study the woodworking machinery market to select multi-purpose equipment. Compare the projected capacity of the new equipment, its installed cost, and its operating cost. It is most important to plan for a proper work balance in the plant. A machine with greatly increased capacity may stand idle much of the time and thus take many years to pay for itself. In this case, nearby plants might possibly rent some of the idle time. The double-end tenoner is one of the most versatile machines in a furniture plant. The set-up time required for modern automatic equipment depends on the skill and experience of the operator.

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