Who’s the customer?
Founded in 1992 in Poland as a family-run business, Holzexport has grown to become a primary international player.
Specialising in the production of parquet and two- or three-layer wooden panels, the company today produces over half a million square metres of finished product per year and is constantly committed to developing increasingly sophisticated products.
The challenge
In order to achieve its growth targets, Holzexport required a complete and highly flexible finishing line, which could allow it to easily adapt to market needs. The company also needed to improve its efficiency in order to keep its prices competitive with sufficiently high margins - a measure even more necessary to quickly capitalize on the huge investment it was about to make.
The Cefla Finishing solution
Cefla Finishing's solution was tailor-made to meet Holzexport's needs. The new finishing line allows for efficient processing of smaller and larger production batches, with diversified cycles. To meet this customer's need for flexibility and efficiency, Cefla experts have studied solutions that dramatically reduce machine downtime and automate some of the processes usually performed manually.
Results
The results obtained with the implementation of the new Cefla Finishing line at Holzexport are remarkable. Thanks to a single highly innovative finishing line, the company is now able to manage diversified finishing processes, with optimal use of the available resources. The flexibility obtained is complemented by the efficiency of the machines and significant energy savings, achieved through reduced cleaning, colour changeover and set-up times. Energy consumption has been further reduced thanks to the implementation of "energy saving" systems installed in the UV ovens. Profit margins and a fast ROI have thus been ensured and the company can now approach markets with three times greater output potential.
Holzexport to focus on technology and tripling its output potential
“I can estimate that the potential for surface refinement at our plant through the installation of the Cefla line will definitely yield a threefold return. We see a lot of upsides associated with the solutions that Cefla has provided us with, handed us over and taken responsibility for.”
Marcin Kowalski
Development Director- Holzexport
In German, "Holz" means "wood", and there is no doubt that wood is the core business of Holzexport - which manufactures and markets parquet floors and panels chiefly targeting Central European countries. However, in recent years, Holzexport's top quality wood has been complemented by another resource, equally critical for success in this field of business: technological innovation.
Investing in technology to earn the market's trust
In international furniture markets, the success of any one company increasingly depends on the timeliness and flexibility with which it is able to respond to clients' requests. The current expectations include processing very large or very small batches, distinctive finishes, specific surface performance and, obviously, processes that make increasingly customised processes economically sustainable. In this scenario, the most advanced technologies are key factors.
Flexibility is precisely one of the most important aspects of the new solution created by Cefla, according to Marcin Kowalski - Development Director of Holzexport. The new finishing line offers the plus of "a flexible approach to production", helping to boost the company's productivity. As an example, with the new system, it is possible to quickly configure the machines and change the surface finish of small working batches during one work shift.
Cefla technologies improving flexibility and efficiency
The line created for Holzexport includes roller coating machines, equipped with multiple application heads and a quick colour changeover system for guaranteed top operational flexibility. The line also integrates coating machines suitable for working with a variety of paint types and designed to adapt perfectly to different production processes.
Cefla has also introduced sophisticated inspection systems for detecting warped planks and monitoring production, ensuring not just flexibility and efficiency but also unparalleled precision and quality. The automatic washing systems for cleaning the rollers and recipe-based CT controls complete this cutting-edge solution, painstakingly designed down to the smallest detail to guarantee efficiency, versatility and extremely high-quality results.
The new Holzexport plant
Thanks to the technologies described so far, the new Holzexport plant has established itself as a standard setter in the field of industrial finishing. The line is equipped with Smartcoater PRO roller coating machines, which allow for precise and versatile application of water-based stains, fillers, primers, 100% UV acrylic finishes and UV oils.
The line is also integrated with roller machines for filler application that operate with automatic pump control, ensuring flawless application of high viscosity fillers. Other creative options are offered by specialized wiping machines for stains and oils, complete with dedicated brushes. With the same line, finishes can also be created with engraved rollers, allowing a variety of processes to be carried out within the same system.
Finally, the line is completed by drying systems suited to the specifications of the paints used: Aquadry ovens for water-based finishes and UV ovens from the UVR series for UV paints. This combination of cutting-edge machines and technologies allows Holzexport to achieve unprecedented levels of precision, efficiency and quality in its wood finishes.
Sustainability and lower consumption
As we have seen, the new line introduces versatile processes, automated control and cleaning systems, energy saving systems integrated into the UV ovens and last but not least, reduces processing and configuration times. All these savings added together massively contributed to Holzexport's overall operational efficiency and the consequent reduction of the company's environmental impact.
The new plant has therefore produced a considerable economic advantage for the company, without in any way affecting quality, which, on the contrary, has improved thanks to process control made possible by Cefla technologies and software. And there's more: it is increasingly important for market players to be able to guarantee the environmental sustainability of their supply chain. Today Holzexport can leverage new market drivers, being able to guarantee flawless quality and sustainable products at an affordable price.
The partnership with Cefla Finishing
A new line consisting of several machines and possibly a new production site to host it - as was the case with Holzexport - may require huge investments. But for Cefla customers, this won't be a problem. Calculating your ROI is an integral part of our planning. The machines are configured and customised through simulations carried out in our LAB, which allows us to test Cefla solutions with our customer's paints and products and calculate the exact increase in productivity granted by the new plant.
Another factor that makes such a big step easier to take is the service and customer assistance provided - which cover the entire life cycle of a new Cefla Finishing line.
A smooth transition to the new finish line
Thanks to the close collaboration between our Cefla Finishing teams and the Holzexport staff, the transition process and complete integration of the new plant went very smoothly. This applies both to finishes using UV paints and to UV oils and water-based dyes.
The constant technical support, the training provided, the availability and reliability of Cefla technicians when it comes to always finding the right solution, were - according to Marcin Kowalski - the key factors behind an seamless transition to the new finishing plant. “These are professionals with whom we wish to work again for other future projects,” commented Kowalski, referring to our Cefla experts.
"When looking for a partner in industry we could say Cefla is the market leader in surface finishes for both wood and wood-based materials."
Marcin Kowalski
Development Director- Holzexport
