01
Baseline
Document the original production condition, customer demand, capacity, labour, quality, WIP, lead time, material, software, and recurring failure pattern.
Case Studies
Titan Production Case Study Library
Machines · Lean · Software · Tooling · Dust · Training · Reliability
Source-based stories and Titan application studies
Production stories that show what changed, why it worked, and what should be measured.
This self-contained library expands the original Titan case-study page into published woodworking examples and representative Titan application studies. It covers lean flow, cabinet capacity, batch-one cells, doors, dust collection, software, tooling, training, maintenance, buffers, whole-piece flow, service-part recovery, material handling, and buying the complete production system.
11 published casesSource-based woodworking stories with named companies and published results.
8 application studiesClearly labelled representative Titan project patterns without invented customer claims.
16 metricsOutput, lead time, WIP, yield, tooling, maintenance, handoff, and delivery measures.
20 image positions panels ready for the production-image pass.
What every useful manufacturing case study should prove.
A machine photograph is not a case study. The story needs an operating baseline, a verified constraint, a controlled intervention, implementation evidence, measured results, and a method for sustaining the gain.
02
Constraint
Identify the machine, information gate, skill, supplier, material route, handling step, quality problem, or schedule rule limiting complete output.
03
Decision
Define the machine, software, tooling, lean method, extraction, maintenance, training, handling, layout, or process intervention selected.
04
Implementation
Show site preparation, data cleanup, acceptance testing, commissioning, operator training, standards, buffers, and ramp-up.
05
Measured result
Report verified changes in output, quality, lead time, labour, downtime, tool cost, material yield, WIP, safety, or delivery.
06
Sustainment
Explain daily management, maintenance, training, service, audits, standard work, ownership, and the next improvement cycle.
Published woodworking and furniture manufacturing cases.
These sections summarize official public customer stories from recognized manufacturing, machinery, software, tooling, and dust-control sources. Names and metrics are retained where they were publicly reported.
PUBLISHED 01
Hideaway Solutions — 5S and single-piece furniture flow
Lean · one-piece flow · workstation layout · standard work
Official NIST MEP success story
Before / constraint
Production had spread across a larger building without a clear assembly route. Team members walked excessive distances, parts were not consistently available at the point of use, batch processing delayed completion, and new-hire assembly needed stronger standardization.
Change / implementation
Polaris MEP observed the work, trained the team in 5S and lean fundamentals, reorganized the assembly area, clarified material needs, and replaced batch processing with a one-by-one prime-line flow.
Published result
A single unit could be ready to ship in 20 minutes instead of two days. The published story also reported $45,750 in cost savings, $175,521 in new sales, $1,058,086 in retained sales, and three jobs retained.
Titan application
For cabinetry and millwork, the transferable lesson is to define the complete unit, place required parts and tools at the work cell, reduce batch queues, and measure complete accepted units—not isolated activity.
PUBLISHED 02
Woodside Industries — lean training restores cabinet capacity
Cabinet manufacturing · WIP · rework · continuous improvement
Official NIST MEP success story
Before / constraint
Earlier lean practices had weakened through attrition and new hires. Production accumulated more WIP, waste, rework, and scrap, increasing cost and reducing available capacity.
Change / implementation
Impact Dakota assessed the plant, developed a production-improvement roadmap, and delivered customized lean training to 15 employees so improvement knowledge would remain active inside the company.
Published result
Woodside reported a 10% productivity increase in seven months using similar equipment, along with a published $1.5 million increase in throughput and $4,563 in cost savings from a $12,600 training investment.
Titan application
Training is not an accessory to equipment. The case supports role-based training, visible standards, WIP control, repeat coaching, and leadership routines that prevent process drift.
PUBLISHED 03
Loferhome — batch-one furniture sizing and edgebanding
Flexible cell · just-in-time panels · storage · offcut control
Official SCM Group customer case
Before / constraint
A broad custom-furniture range required flexibility, consistent finishing, process automation, fast response, and control of varying panel sizes, edges, machining, and reusable offcuts.
Change / implementation
SCM developed an integrated batch-one system combining automatic storage, multiple beam-saw resources, offcut management, flexible routing, cell-supervisor software, and paired squaring-edgebanding equipment capable of processing changing panel requirements in sequence.
Published result
The published case describes delivery times for the Tua Casa product range as short as eight working days while supporting high mix, just-in-time panel sequencing, interchangeable cutting resources, and automated offcut return.
Titan application
The lesson is not merely to buy faster saws and edgebanders. Storage, software, offcuts, machine redundancy, sequencing, panel identity, and downstream balance must operate as one cell.
PUBLISHED 04
Nordic Door — automated batch-one special-door machining
Robotics · barcodes · ERP/MES · rapid setup · door output
Official SCM Group technology case
Before / constraint
Large special doors for demanding applications required varied drilling and routing, high weights, different dimensions, rapid setup, accurate identification, and controlled sorting.
Change / implementation
The cell used barcode identification, robotic loading and unloading, parallel machining resources, supervisor software, automated program calls, optional ERP/MES connection, and an additional flexible CNC route for special operations.
Published result
SCM published a productivity level of 250 doors per shift while retaining batch-one capability. Key machining was described as taking under one minute, with automated sorting by order and operator access for unusual manual work.
Titan application
Door capacity should be measured in accepted doors per shift, not only spindle speed. Identity, handling, routing exceptions, sorting, and software handoff are core production functions.
PUBLISHED 05
Orma — dust extraction removes a production stoppage
Dust collection · press uptime · energy · safety
Official Nederman woodworking case
Before / constraint
Dust entered melamine press lines and required repeated production stoppages to clean the tapes, reducing operational efficiency and increasing workplace and combustible-dust concerns.
Change / implementation
A customized filtration system continuously extracted dust below the press bands while the line operated, supported by system analysis, installation planning, and a complete extraction approach.
Published result
Nederman reported 73% less downtime related to tape removal, alongside cleaner equipment, improved efficiency, energy benefits, and a healthier and safer production environment.
Titan application
Dust collection belongs in the capacity model. Capture performance, filters, ducting, discharge, energy, cleaning time, and maintenance access can materially change usable machine output.
PUBLISHED 06
Mark Lohan Kitchens — custom work becomes production-ready data
Cabinet software · nesting · material planning · reduced error
Official Hexagon customer case
Before / constraint
A wide range of custom kitchens and furniture created high planning complexity. Manual cut lists, material reports, hand cutting, and part tracking consumed time and introduced error risk.
Change / implementation
CABINET VISION was implemented for design-to-CNC work, automatic cut and material reports, reusable cabinet libraries, object-intelligent changes, nesting, offcut use, and better pre-production review with assembly staff.
Published result
The published story states the software produces CNC code for about 90% of projects, improves confidence in quality and precision, reduces human error, and provides clearer estimates of required sheets and machine time.
Titan application
A software case study should measure complete-and-correct release, programming time, sheets required, machine hours, revision errors, label accuracy, and downstream questions.
PUBLISHED 07
Dover Cabinet Industries — eliminating redundant programming
Architectural casework · CAD/CAM · nesting · Flexstore
Official Hexagon customer case
Before / constraint
Projects were drawn in CAD and then rebuilt through machine-level CAM, creating a redundant production step, more programming time, and more opportunities for material-consuming errors.
Change / implementation
Dover integrated CABINET VISION and Alphacam with SCM CNC equipment, a beam saw, automatic nesting, and a Flexstore material-handling area so design information could create production-ready toolpaths and simulated nests.
Published result
Dover reported at least a 30% reduction in design-and-programming time. Three-dimensional models and nest simulation helped identify mistakes before material was cut, improving efficiency and reducing waste.
Titan application
The transferable improvement is a controlled digital handoff: one approved job identity, one revision, machine-ready files, tool data, labels, material requirements, and visible release status.
PUBLISHED 08
Charles Yorke — tooling supplier becomes production partner
Tool management · cut quality · downtime · total tooling cost
Official Leitz customer case
Before / constraint
The bespoke furniture manufacturer reported frequent tooling problems, delayed or incorrect support, avoidable downtime, material waste, and substantial annual tooling spend.
Change / implementation
The company standardized around a tooling partnership that included application knowledge, quick-release systems, planned service intervals, tool management, and earlier technical involvement in new production requirements.
Published result
The published case reports a 40% lower annual tooling bill, longer tool life, reduced waste, no continuing tooling emergencies, and a process consolidated from three operations into one pass.
Titan application
Tooling cost should be measured per accepted unit and include tool life, service, setup, runout, cut quality, scrap, downtime, inventory, and operator confidence.
PUBLISHED 09
Neville Johnson — edgebanding output without unsustainable overtime
Edgebanding · return systems · training · ramp-up · service
Official SCM Group customer case
Before / constraint
The furniture producer needed more output, fast changeover, flexible edge configurations, reliable finish quality, and a transition plan that would not destabilize production.
Change / implementation
Two edgebanders with panel-return systems were specified around the production requirement, future glue options, remote diagnostics, staggered installation, and one week of training for each machine.
Published result
The company reported record production output without increasing overtime. Operators overcame the new-machine barrier quickly, and both machines were in full production by the end of week four.
Titan application
A machine case study should include commissioning sequence, old-machine contingency, operator release time, training by shift, first-good production, ramp milestones, and service access.
PUBLISHED 10
Hasenkopf — five-axis CNC delivers architectural complexity
Architectural panels · digital geometry · tooling · repeatability
Official SCM Group customer case
Before / constraint
The Elbphilharmonie concert-hall interior required thousands of unique, dense, non-flammable panels with three-dimensional acoustic surfaces and extremely complex digital geometry.
Change / implementation
Hasenkopf used three five-axis CNC machining centres, extensive CAD-to-machine preparation, two-sided machining macros, specialized workholding, diamond tooling, and disciplined tool service.
Published result
The published project included 10,287 parts covering about 6,000 square metres, nearly one million irregular cavities, 30,520 CNC programs, roughly 1.5 million linear metres of routing, and thousands of sharpening cycles.
Titan application
For architectural millwork, the value of five-axis CNC is controlled complexity: digital preparation, fixtures, tool management, repeatability, part identity, inspection, and the ability to quote difficult work confidently.
PUBLISHED 11
Menuiserie Petit — window production moves into five-axis CNC
Doors and windows · dual work zones · training · adoption
Official SCM Group customer case
Before / constraint
The joinery business wanted to expand window production, machine hardware and profiles efficiently, improve finish and labour use, and prepare one component while another was being processed.
Change / implementation
A five-axis CNC with an automatically positioned worktable supported alternating work zones, hardware preparation, drilling, profiling, and more complete machining in one controlled process.
Published result
The published story says the first windows were produced about one month after installation and notes the labour and assembly benefits. It also directly identifies insufficient software training as an important lesson.
Titan application
Equipment capability is incomplete without programming skill. The implementation plan needs software training, production templates, backup users, post-processing ownership, and time to prove real products.
Representative Titan application studies.
These are planning scenarios based on recurring cabinet, millwork, door, panel, tooling, dust, maintenance, software, and production-system problems. They describe the work Titan can structure but do not claim results from a named Titan customer.
APPLICATION 01
Capacity planning converts machine speed into customer output
A cabinet shop has feed speeds, axis speeds, cycle reports, and labour hours but cannot state dependable cabinets per day. The Titan study defines units by process, observes cycle and touch time, models product mix, identifies the constraint, and compares required versus available good hours.
DeliverableMachine capacity sheets, process capacity matrix, constraint buffer, growth scenarios, and accepted output by hour, shift, and day.
APPLICATION 02
Pull scheduling and deliberate buffers replace uncontrolled release
Jobs are pushed to every machine, WIP fills carts and aisles, priority changes by conversation, and the bottleneck alternates between starvation and blockage. The Titan study defines the pacemaker, finite load, FIFO lanes, supermarkets, time buffers, dispatch rules, and release gates.
DeliverablePull-release design, buffer units and limits, machine dispatch rules, frozen schedule window, and buffer-status dashboard.
APPLICATION 03
Whole-piece cabinet flow keeps complete units visible
Nested and saw-cut parts move efficiently, but incomplete cabinets reach assembly without doors, backs, hardware, fillers, or remakes. The Titan study defines cabinet, room, elevation, or install-zone identity and carries completeness through labels, carts, kits, assembly, packaging, and shipping.
DeliverableWhole-piece unit definition, kit-completeness rules, shortage status, cart standard, install sequence, and complete cabinets per day.
APPLICATION 04
Service-part express lane protects blocked work
A low-value replacement part can hold a cabinet, room, truck, installer, invoice, or customer acceptance. The Titan study creates triage, machine-ready data reconstruction, small WIP limits, reserved production windows, alternate routing, delivery confirmation, and cause closure.
DeliverableExpress eligibility rules, service-level targets, route by machine, maximum WIP, ageing dashboard, and repeat-cause review.
APPLICATION 05
Maintenance planning turns recurring symptoms into reliability work
Machines continue running with increasing vibration, dust, glue-line issues, weak vacuum, short tool life, random faults, and repeat remakes. The Titan study builds an asset register, operator care, preventive tasks, condition triggers, critical spares, escalation, and production-safe service windows.
DeliverableMaintenance cadence, machine checklist, critical-spares classes, condition-monitoring triggers, planned shutdown work, and uptime metrics.
APPLICATION 06
Equipment buying starts with the complete production system
A shop begins with a machine quotation but has not resolved product mix, capacity unit, software, tooling, extraction, air, vacuum, material handling, training, maintenance, acceptance tests, or ramp-up. The Titan study converts the purchase into a controlled implementation brief.
DeliverableFuture-state flow, equipment scorecard, site requirements, tooling package, ownership-cost model, acceptance test, and ramp plan.
APPLICATION 07
Training and handoff standards remove downstream questions
Operators know individual machines, but design, engineering, machining, edge, assembly, and maintenance use different definitions of ready and done. The Titan study maps questions, assigns required fields and physical presentation, trains by role, and creates a repeatable exception path.
DeliverableRole-based curriculum, workstation handoff standard, complete-and-correct release, question log, backup coverage, and skill matrix.
APPLICATION 08
Dust, tooling, and handling are optimized as one production cell
Cut quality is blamed on the machine while worn holders, poor extraction, dirty material, weak carts, excessive touches, and inconsistent tool settings remain unmanaged. The Titan study measures each loss and redesigns the support system around accepted output.
DeliverableTooling library, extraction review, touch-and-travel map, cart and staging standard, cost per good unit, and quality-at-source checks.
Metrics that turn the story into production evidence.
Select the measures that fit the product family and process boundary. A result should be repeatable, comparable, and connected to complete customer output—not a one-time best cycle.
Accepted good units/hour
First-pass accepted output divided by staffed or scheduled production time.
Complete units/day
Cabinets, doors, rooms, orders, or customer packages completed—not partial components.
Lead-time reduction
Elapsed time from approved release to accepted completion before and after the change.
Touch-time ratio
Direct processing and handling time compared with total production lead time.
WIP and queue age
Quantity, value, location, status, and age of work between release and completion.
First-pass yield
Output completing the route without remake, rework, sorting, repair, or unplanned correction.
Constraint starvation
Time the bottleneck cannot run because complete approved work is unavailable.
Constraint blockage
Time the bottleneck cannot release work because downstream capacity or space is unavailable.
Setup and changeover
Time from the last good unit of one run to the first good unit of the next.
Labour minutes/unit
Direct or paid labour required for one accepted process or customer unit.
Material yield
Accepted product compared with purchased sheet, board, edge, coating, or component material.
Tooling cost/unit
Tool purchase, service, replacement, setup, downtime, and failure cost per accepted unit.
Downtime and availability
Planned and unplanned lost time using one agreed definition and source.
Express-part lead time
Authorized service-part request to accepted delivery at the blocked destination.
Handoff completeness
Work arriving with all required data, material, labels, programs, tools, and quality status.
On-time complete delivery
Orders delivered by the promised date with complete quantity and required quality.
Case-study evidence checklist.
A publishable study should have enough evidence to explain the operating change without exposing confidential customer information or overstating an unverified result.
Customer-approved description of the original production problem
Product family, material, routing, and process boundary
Baseline unit and time period used for comparison
Identified system constraint or failure pattern
Machine, software, tooling, handling, maintenance, or lean intervention
Site preparation, commissioning, training, and ramp description
Representative production test or observation period
Accepted quality definition and first-pass result
Output, lead time, labour, WIP, material, downtime, or delivery evidence
Explanation of assumptions, exclusions, and external influences
Operator, programmer, maintenance, supervisor, and leadership perspective
Sustainment owner, maintenance cadence, standard work, and next action
Source and transparency note.
These case studies combine real-world manufacturing examples with practical Titan application scenarios. Each story highlights the production challenge, the approach taken, and the operational results or lessons that followed. Together, they show how improvements in equipment, software, tooling, training, maintenance, dust collection, material handling, capacity planning, and lean production can be applied across cabinet, millwork, door, panel, and woodworking operations.
NIST MEP
SCM Group
Nederman
Hexagon
Leitz