A cabinetmaking business with an innovative vision
Craftsmen's technologies
Established in 2012 by David Polleau in Doué-la-Fontaine, Atelier DP-Ébénisterie Contemporaine specialises in the production of high-end wooden furniture. After ten years in business, artisan work has dramatically changed thanks to state-of-the-art design and manufacturing tools.
Some youngsters have a clear idea of the professional path they want to take. David Polleau had always loved wood and knew from early on what he wanted to do in life: "I started as an apprentice at the age of 16 and I instantly focused my attention on cabinetmaking." A classic route on a schoolwork placement: CAP and BTM certificates and then a final diploma. After learning the trade in companies in Angers and Nantes specialising in contemporary furniture, in 2012, he decided to set up a cabinetmaking workshop in his hometown. Thanks to a partnership with the Town Council, he set up in a temporary headquarters of 1,250 m2 and with a bank loan of 150,000 Euro, he hired two cabinetmakers...A few years later the cabinet making company started training apprentices, some of whom then decided to stay on in the company.
Today, the company employs 26 people, 21 in the workshop including 4 former apprentices. The company is doing well: its order portfolio is full and, despite the pandemic, in 2020 it made a turnover of 2,350,000 Euro. In 2021, the cabinet making company moved to a new building of 3,000m2 whose workshop is double the size of the previous premises. It is a huge investment - 2.5 million Euro - but for David Polleau it is time to take a leap forward: "We didn't have enough space and it was essential to improve our working conditions in order to concentrate on expanding the company."
Target market
Atelier DP's customers are interior designers, architects and furniture brands..."It is an industry that I know well and the quality of what we manufacture has allowed us to hold on to these partnerships and find other customers", explains the businessman. The market is exclusively high-end contemporary furniture at international level.
A product of excellence
Design tables, made-to-measure cabinets, bookcases, desks, lamps, sofa tables, nautical furnishings ...The orders are continuous and all different. The workshops only uses solid wood purchasing logs cut into panels: oak, walnut, spruce wood, ash, elm, rosewood and American pinewood ...."For our creations, we use the most attractive part of the log, but we also try to enhance the rest of the material". explains David Polleau.
80% of our products are manufactured using oak. "Customers generally already have their preferences and we advise them on finish: customised shades, creation of colours and patina...."
The orders are neither unique pieces nor assembly line; each piece can be produced in a different way. Personalisation becomes the keyword in this industry. If some customers prefer sober, clean-cut finishes, others love to keep the knots visible and have a more natural finish. Sometimes, different materials other than wood are used such as leather, brass, wrought iron or steel... Some highly complex projects require a great deal of work: it can take up to 60 hours to produce a table, for example!
Artisan and proud of it, but not without advanced technologies!
"After setting up the company, I started to create a traditional workshop with lots of second-hand machinery: squaring-edgebanding machine, spindle moulders, surface planer and planer unit..." explains our interviewee. At the time there was no plan to install machining centres, as that required a great deal of investment. "Initially, I designed everything, I did all the finishes and I had to know how to do a bit of everything."
Digital made its début in the workshop a few years later, in 2016, with a design software (AutoCAD) and, in 2018, with a CAD/CAM software. At the same time, the businessman purchased an SCM morbidelli m200 machining centre. "It was a genuine revolution that allowed us to move to the next level in terms of production capacity", explains David Polleau. "The furniture that we manufacture has organic shapes that require a certain regularity at the machining stage. They are all works of the designers' imagination and we really work on 5 axes. A lot of work would be inaccessible if we did not have this equipment."
A balance in tradition and modernity
The machine selected by the cabinetmaker was configured around his specific needs. The Pro Space safety system offers complete freedom of movement because it means there is no need for perimeter protection; this way the worktable can be accessed from all sides.
Another significant advantage is the ability to change tools in under 15 seconds thanks to the FAST14 magazine.
"When you have efficient machinery, the work changes dramatically", explains the cabinet maker. "When producing standard furniture, that does not go through the machining centre, there is a need for manual skills, going back to the trade's origin. With the 5-axes technology, a performance research office was needed, with a good designer and skilled programmer. In fact, this piece of equipment has allowed us to acquire greater skills."
Nowadays, the company's research office employs three people who cover both design and programming. Thanks to the new space, Atelier DP will be able to expand the company's activity in line with changing demand.
"We need to try and understand what furniture of the future will be like and decide which tools will still be needed", explains David Polleau. "In any case, we are lucky enough to work for customers who offer products with high added value, which is very motivating."
by Anna Ader for Woodsurfer
Atelier DP
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