Rise of the machines

What are the common apprehensions people have regarding machine finished furniture?

One of the biggest misconception is that such furniture cannot be customised. Machines used to create standard furniture can also be used for custom furniture. Also, many consider machine finish makers don’t provide options for material selection. But infact, they are in direct touch with plywood and laminate manufacturers, and have access to a wide range of finishes.

Another factor is pricing. Customised furniture needn’t be expensive — plywood and laminates, the major input materials, are available in bulk and this is a benefit that carpentry cannot give customers. Another sub factor in costing is durability. Mechanised furniture is made using modular technology, which can be installed and dismantled quickly, whereas handmade furniture is usually bulky.

Advantages of ready furniture?

- you get a seamless finish

- multiple design options

- hot press enables uniform adhesion

- units can be dismantled and/or redesigned

- production scale for a 3-4BHK is only one week

What do manufacturers need to be careful about?

Extra care is needed during the preparation of the designer’s cut list (sizing the plywood) and site drawings. There will be some unavoidable wastage of material if the panels are cut incorrectly without the cut list.

Some may say that a handmade piece by a carpenter is more one-of-a-kind rather than mass-produced furniture.

A carpenter is limited in terms of design options and tools. Secondly, they lack formal training and almost no one uses technology to enable optimal space utilisation, ergonomics and innovative design. With the advent of smart homes and appliances, today, people look for exclusive designs that can be created fast and enable optimum space utilisation.

For details, log on to www.garniturewood.com