If you’re looking for comfortable upholstered and lounge furniture in Johannesburg, South Africa, there's been no alternative to Calgan Recliners for almost 30 years. From now on, the company will rely on WEIMA’s shredding technology for the wood waste generated during the production of frame structures. A WL 4 shredder has been able to drastically reduce disposal costs.
When up to 600 employees work in one location, chips are going to accumulate, many chips, usually only in the form of solid wood sections or chipboard residues. Calgan Recliners manufactures and exports high-quality living room seating. This includes armchairs, individual sofas and entire seating groups.
Framemaking and upholstery artisans
Project facts
01
WL 4
Single-shaft shredder
02
18,5 kW
power
03
6:1
reduction
Reducing waste volume and disposal costs
The continuous growth of the family-owned company, founded by Cecil Kagan in 1993, has also led to a sharp increase in waste volume. Production Manager Garth Anderson commented:
Upholstery sewing department
"The majority of our waste comes from pine or eucalyptus wood. Since the waste is often voluminous and bulky, our containers filled up much too quickly and had to be emptied twice a week. To reduce the volume, we decided on a shredder."
Garth Anderson, production manager
"The wood shredder has made a huge difference. The sections, no matter how large or which type of wood they are made of, are turned into wood chips that fill our containers in an optimal way. Now we only have to have them picked up once every three weeks. We're saving a lot of money."
Garth Anderson, production manager
Goals for the near future
The company also has ambitious plans for the coming years. This includes separating solid wood and chipboard. Shredded solid wood could then be sold to livestock breeders in the surrounding area. Another idea is using wood chips for energy production in a biomass plant.
Fitting the covers
Standing up to Asian competition
Anderson added that increasing competitive pressure from the Far East is also fueling the company’s drive to increase efficiency:
Solid timber
"Furniture imports from China have completely destroyed the cabinet and shelf construction industry in South Africa, and we don't want this to happen to our upholstered furniture (recliners) market here. The only way to combat this competition is to increase efficiency. We want to produce modular seating furniture in as high a volume as possible and sell it to a broad customer base. This modular concept also allows us to optimize shipping. And now we have found the ideal solution for our waste wood management."
Garth Anderson, production manager
WEIMA says thank you to WoodBiz Africa and editor Joy Crane for this customer success story.
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About WEIMA
More than 40,000 machines sold worldwide! WEIMA has been manufacturing robust shredders and briquetting presses for the disposal and processing of all types of waste for more than four decades. Our machines include single-shaft shredders, four-shaft shredders, cutting mills and briquette presses. The popular blood orange machines are used in the wood, plastics, paper, metal and waste-to-energy industries.
Made in Germany. Built for the world.
Shredders and briquette presses from WEIMA are exclusively made in Germany and come from production plants in Saxony-Anhalt and Baden-Wuerttemberg. Every year, more than 300 employees work on around 1,200 customer solutions from around the globe. We have long-standing sales and service locations in the USA, Poland, India and China. More than 80 representatives supplement this global presence.
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