An outstanding example of a digital workflow and Industry 4.0
Horatec GmbH, based in Hövelhof, Germany, primarily produce finished furniture parts. The company has been a committed HOMAG customer since 1998 and appreciates the wide range of products HOMAG offers, from cutting and edging through to drilling and trimming.
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Managing director Wolfgang Thorwesten feels he is in a very good position with the HOMAG machines and plans further investments in the future.
HOMAG and Horatec have been working together intensively for over twenty years. The initial contact with managing director Wolfgang Thorwesten arose at the end of the 1990s, with the relationship being cemented in 1998 when Horatec bought its first HOMAG machines. Since then, Horatec has invested in a number of new machines to further optimize production at its Hövelhof and Augustdorf sites.
Just under 150 employees work in three shifts to produce orders from customers in the DACH and Benelux regions.
Traditional carpenters and interior fitters appreciate the range of products on offer from Horatec.
Some of the finished furniture kits are one-offs, but they are most often procured as regular purchases — either to relieve the load on the customer's own production capacity at peak times or to allow customers to focus on other fields such as planning or sales. The "make or buy strategy plays right into our hands," comments Wolfgang Thorwesten. "At the beginning of the Covid-19 pandemic, the initial uncertainty among our customers lasted at most one week. This proves that our concept is crisis-proof," he adds as emphasis.
The Horatec concept is as simple as it is easy. On the Horatec website homepage, customers can use the company's own planning program "Roomdesigner" or the "Möbelplaner" furniture planner to design products to their requirements. These can be either completely customized, or the customer can select materials, surfaces, edges and fixtures from a range of preconfigured furniture — the options are almost endless. It only takes a few minutes to cost each configuration online and then the product can be ordered by simply clicking a button.
A label to identify each part — from production through to assembly at the customer's premises
The production processes at Horatec are as sleek as the online ordering process. The order is converted into a digital job folder that is then processed on the machines. The HOMAG machines are completely networked with one another and are an outstanding example of a digital workflow and Industry 4.0.
With more than 4000 panels, the fully automatic storage system guarantees high availability and gentle handling of materials during cutting preparation, which takes place on two fully automatic SAWTEQ saw cells. These are connected to the panel storage system, and each panel is transported with absolute care using vacuum technology. This is where the labeling also takes place, with each part keeping the same identification markers right up to assembly at the customer's premises.
The edge banding coats the narrow surfaces and increases the quality of the furniture part, both "visually" and "perceptually." The EDGETEQ edge banding machine is used to band each edge with white or transparent PUR glue so that there are no joins. Alternatively, laserTec can also be used for the edge banding process.
In addition to all the machining processing such as inserting bore holes, serial holes, grooves and pockets, the last production step is to glue in the dowels. Two CENTATEQ processing centers enable the furniture parts and associated fixture components to be assembled with ease.
The final process step at Horatec is to package the products and add all relevant fixtures to the components that are required for assembling the cabinet or the drawers. Individually produced packaging is used to ensure the finished furniture parts reach the customers safely and on time.
A look into the future
The current successes don't mean that Horatec is resting on its laurels; the effect is quite the opposite. Wolfgang Thorwesten explains how production is to be expanded and optimized. In this context he also mentions the good, close and regular exchange of information with the HOMAG sales team, which keeps him up to date about new items and changes. For example, during discussions about "optimizing production processes," the idea of acquiring a robot was raised and plans have been made to invest in additional CNC drilling and dowel inserting machines. Horatec Managing Director Wolfgang Thorwesten praises the wide and extensive range of products available from HOMAG, which provides even bigger process optimization opportunities for Horatec in the future and will increase performance in the production of finished furniture parts.
In summary, Wolfgang Thorwesten emphasizes his satisfaction with HOMAG products and praises the close relationship between the two companies. "If you want to play in the big leagues, HOMAG is the only option," he says with full conviction. "The size of the group gives you a lot of confidence!"