Groupe Lacasse - High end office furniture and advanced nesting technology
Nesting is a technology used in woodworking whenever chip reduction, machining optimisation and just in time production are required. Cutting, shaping, profiling, drilling of various parts that belong to different production batches are made possible in one set up, starting from one panel, or even from several stacked panels. The through-feed structure of the machine permits the best integration into a production line. Automatic labelling and laser marking enable a high level of automation of the following phases.
The company
Founded in 1956, Groupe Lacasse is based in St. Pie, Quebec, Canada, with various manufacturing facilities throughout North America, covering a total area of over 900.000 square feet (84.000 m2). They are a North American leader in the design, manufacture and service of a broad range of high-quality office furniture products under the Lacasse®, United Chair®, and Nvision® brands, well known for their original design, new material choices and leading-edge engineering.
The core values of the company are constant design innovation as well as a solution and customer oriented approach. The ongoing commitment to develop a Made-to-Order manufacturing capability, that welcomes very special orders, is an integral part of Lacasse’s strategy, always focussed on enhancing customers’ expectation. Another great asset of Lacasse’s furniture is their “Performance Design”, based on high quality workmanship and high grade components - a noticeable quality that is evident in the way their products work and look.
Lacasse
offers facility planners such a wide array of choices, products and prices that
their dealers often say “Groupe Lacasse has got It all”.
Why CMS
Groupe Lacasse uses the panel nesting technology for manufacturing furniture components and own two CMS machining centres: an older GIOTTO machine and a modern AVANT machine with a vacuum belt, ordered in mid 2006.
The AVANT machine purchase was decided upon to make the production flow more fluid, eliminating the panel saw operation that required space and storage to stack up the semi finished parts in front of the edge banding line. After a close study of the project by CMS Italy and CMS North America, and its partner in the territory for services assumed by Drolet Machinerie Inc., the proposed solution was a through-feed system, granting just in time production. Drolet Machinerie’s and CMS North America’s expertise in this specific technology, evidenced by the several AVANT machines with vacuum belt sold in North America, was the key factor in a choice that proved excellent, reducing lead time and “work in process”, as well as a significant improvement in yield .
So Lacasse can once again see for themselves the high quality of installed CMS machines, as well as the responsive local sales service offered by Drolet and CMS North America.