Desicor is a renowned Portuguese producer of furniture and decorative panels, the sheer quality of its furnishing components making it a market stand-out. It manufactures over 40,000 pieces a week and exports 99.8% of them worldwide via its Oneskin brand.
Desicor wanted to renew its production line and obtain high-quality surface finishes: deep matt, hard-wearing and scratch-resistant. To achieve this goal, it was necessary to merge the most recent drying technologies with those already used by the company and help workers get used to the new system.
Integration of the innovative, patented Exydry oven into the existing coating line has allowed Desicor to provide the market with an ultra-matt product, even with objects that have complex shapes. The excellent results stemmed from close collaboration with the customer all the way up to full adoption of the new plant, an approach designed to continuously maximise productivity.
Thanks to the new finishing line, Desicor is now able to offer retailers innovative products and strengthen the reputation of its Oneskin brand. The company has overcome the pitfalls of integrating new technologies into an existing production framework and personnel are now skilled, trained and able to use the new line confidently. By partnering with Cefla, Desicor has surmounted a prickly transition phase and can now enjoy the advantages of an innovative high-performance plant.
Desicor: the most innovative technologies are not, on their own, enough
“The Desicor case study is no simple success story in which new technologies lead to exciting results. Here, there’s a deeper message: the most innovative technologies are, on their own, not enough. Such technologies, instead, need to be paired with a change management process that leads to seamless inclusion of the new plant within the corporate ecosystem", explains Cristian Giovannini, Product Manager - Cefla Finishing
The decision to renew production facilities is always tricky for a manufacturer. On the one hand, there’s an awareness that technological innovation will yield competitive advantages, such as higher productivity, better-quality products or a broader product range to offer the market. On the other hand, companies need to carefully consider the ROI and the impact new production lines can have on established business processes.
A new plant with Cefla Finishing
Those who turn to Cefla can count on straightforward ROI estimates: simulations performed in our LAB allow Cefla solutions to be tested with the customer’s products, thus streamlining the calculations. However, that same mathematical precision cannot be applied when calculating the impact of the new line on the company's production ecosystem. To respond to this uncertainty, Cefla Finishing offers customer service and assistance throughout the life cycle of the new line. While there’s no mathematical formula to support this statement, there are plenty of case studies we can turn to - such as Desicor - that offer tangible proof of it.
The new finishing line for Desicor
Desicor has chosen Cefla Finishing as its technological partner for surface finishing operations. In 2019, the Portuguese company decided to renew the production line to give its furniture range distinctive characteristics and ensure ultra-high quality. To be more specific, Desicor was interested in Cefla's flat panel and 3D finishing technologies, which provide ultra-matt, soft-touch, anti-fingerprint and highly scratch-resistant finishes. Furthermore, the company wanted to produce self-healing surfaces and edge finishes that match the panel surface to perfection.
Complex technology... and an uphill start
To achieve those goals, Cefla Finishing came up with a customised solution that could be combined with the existing technology to give rise to a new production line. The new finishing process starts with cleaning of the panel, which has already been prepared with a primer. Then comes spray application of the finish, followed by an evaporation stage and final drying with an excimer oven and UV lamps.
Despite the enthusiasm for the new plant, the production start-up process was demanding. A combination of innovative coatings and complex technology proved to be a significant challenge: this was particularly evident in certain product categories, such as doors with glass panes or doors pre-drilled for hinges. So how should these challenges be addressed to ensure the new plant becomes a true asset as opposed to a hindrance for company and workers?
Introducing a new production line into a consolidated setting
Getting an innovative new finishing line up and running offers a great opportunity to boost productivity and ensure higher-quality results. That said, it’s important to understand that this process often requires significant commitment and effort on the part of the entire organisation.
That’s why it’s vital to choose a technological partner who can provide close support throughout this transition phase. Cefla's strength lies in the relationships it establishes with customers. Being a true partner - not just a supplier - means sharing and cooperating, not just to identify the most advantageous technological solution but also, above all, to overcome the difficulties and solve the problems companies can encounter. And this is exactly what we’ve done for Desicor, by providing training, close support and assistance, both on-site and remotely.
A partnership that’s renewed year after year
After almost ten years of partnership, Pedro Ramos, Director of Process Engineering, believes the just-described challenge has further strengthened the bond of trust between Cefla and Desicor. As we’ve seen, this success depends on more than the advanced technologies and high performance that Cefla provides. What makes Pedro Ramos confident that Desicor and Cefla will remain partners for a long time is, above all, the excellent assistance he’s received over the years: “In Cefla there’s always an expert available, well-prepared on the latest technology and ready to help”. It is, then, this partnership philosophy that guides each project and relations with each customer, creating a solid, lasting bond based on mutual trust.
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