3D
Furniture Technologies
THE “DASSI” TRIO WHO BEAT COMPETITORS USING 5-AXIS WORK CENTRES
The morbidelli m800 is the key machine at 3D, a small woodworking company based in Brianza, specialised in made-to-measure interior and exterior design. The company prides itself on its rapid, high precision production and refined machining processes, like pantographing, a modern wood cutting technique that is increasingly on demand. It also boasts a continuous focus on innovation and the digital sector that has led to its choice of SCM software.
Paolo has always had a passion for woodwork, ever since he was a boy. The moment he got home from school, he would run to his father’s workshop and help him tighten a screw or fasten a panel, even if it meant climbing on a stepladder to reach it. Today he runs a company with his two brothers, Fabio and Giorgio, that makes custom-built furniture for private houses, restaurants, hotels, banks and offices. The company combines the vast experience gained in the family woodworking company with computerised work centres and state-of-the-art machining technology. This includes CAD CAM systems that show what products look like before they are made, and SCM software that programs every machining process down to the smallest detail.
The Dassi brothers’ 3D company is a clear example of the fact that no matter how small a company is, it can still win the trust of major clients, even foreign ones, if they have an open mentality and continuously insist on innovation. The company has existed for three generations in Lissone, in Brianza, and has succeeded in expanding its customer base over time by word of mouth, which even in the world of internet, is still the most effective means of promotion. “For us, ‘made-to-measure’ means listening to a customer or architect’s needs and satis34 3D - ITALY 35 fying them completely. That is why we provide a comprehensive service that ranges from measuring and designing projects to installing them,” comments Paolo Dassi as he welcomes us in to his woodworking company. Paolo’s customers are mainly from the private sector, but in recent years the company has also succeeded in gaining a foothold as a sub-contractor for offices, banks, bars and restaurants.
Eleven people work in the 3D team, including two young men who have just graduated from a specialised local woodworking school. “Unfortunately,” points out Paolo, “they still have a lot to learn because the training that young people are given today is still too theoretical. That’s why I try to take them with me to customers as often as possible. Just a few days ago we went to Montecarlo together to make a delivery so they could gain first-hand experience of what we consider to be a key factor: our focus on the customer during the assembly phase”. In fact, the 3D team now moves to Montecarlo for a week every month. Word of mouth has been extremely effective in promoting the company there, as it has been in other countries, like Switzerland, Germany, France, Luxembourg, and even the United Arab Emirates, a dream market for manufacturers in this sector.
There the Dassi brothers have committed to constructing made-to-measure architectural elements for an auditorium in Dubai. “We have created all the curved panels that require a special level of craftsmanship that we can guarantee thanks to our numerically-controlled, five-axis work centre,” comments Paolo showing us his morbidelli m800 (before rebranding author m800), the machine he considers to be the most important in his collection. “Years ago, constructing made-to-measure furniture was a lengthy business, but today, thanks to five axis technology, we 36 3D - ITALY can do any kind of machining operation quickly and accurately, including pantographing.”
In addition to its 5-axis work centre, the company has three other morbidelli drilling, routing and edge banding centres, a si x (“L’invincibile”), a small but versatile woodworking machine, two dmc systems (a brushing unit that is currently very popular as a result of growing market demands and a four-band wide-belt sander), a stefani solution md edge bander for polyurethane or hot air gluing, “that allows us to obtain an optimum finish,” and a superset spindle moulder for solid wood machining. “Our relationship with SCM dates back to when my father was running the company in 1979, and since then we have only bought machines from this supplier,” says Paolo, emphasizing the fact that the relationship is not just a matter of business, but a real friendship. “This has allowed to do things that others can’t, particularly thanks to five-axis machining. We also know - he adds – that we can count on quick and competent customer care, something that, today, is almost more important than the purchase of the machine itself.”
The name 3D is not just a play on words referencing the three Dessi brothers, it also describes the company’s open attitude to digital technology. “We have just discovered SCM’s new Maestro Digital Systems service,” comments Paolo, “and in the next few days we would like to find out more about it.
We already use SCM software that helps us guarantee precise, quick, punctual consignments. Today, you can’t do large-scale jobs in a short time without technology. I was particularly struck by the simplicity of these new programmes that seem very similar to the AutoCAD technology we use every day. This means that learning how to use the new SCM programming system and explaining it to our operators shouldn’t be too difficult”.
3D
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