Interior architects' favorite

2022/09/29   |   Müllheim   |   Switzerland

Heinz Fehlmann smiles as he takes a seat at the three-meter-long walnut table in his bright sales room. Modern kitchen units with indirect lighting and stylish fittings are the main features of this room – genuine veneered wood with striking grain and a wide range of color finishes decorate the surfaces. The showroom is a real eye-catcher. It is no wonder that more than 30 percent of orders are for kitchen, bathroom and home furniture for private customers.

But the joinery's top clients also include interior architects. For example, the team led by Heinz Fehlmann was entrusted with the full furnishing of twelve lofts in the Korn-
haus development in Romanshorn, and with the exclusive furnishing of the suites of the Bürgenstock Resort hotel. And numerous projects also come from the public sector: for example, the joinery took over the new construction and renovation of the Kantonsspital Frauenfeld, as well as one or two room concepts for more beautiful classrooms in school buildings

Nothing ventured, nothing gained

The joinery in Thurgau, Switzerland, has built up this reputation over many years. The success story began in 1998: as a qualified master carpenter, Heinz Fehlmann decided to take the step into self-employment. Many different activities that he had completed in an employee relationship – from the assembly area through the machine room to the office – had prepared him perfectly for running his own joinery.

Chance took him to a familiar region. Fehlmann took over a vacant property of an insolvent joinery in Müllheim – together with an old CNC machine from the former employer. He used to go to school here, and now he is one of the largest employers in the community. Fehlmann remembers the first marketing campaign exactly: together with his wife, who still supports him in sales, he went from house to house and distributed flyers. But relationships and contacts from earlier days also helped him start the Fehlmann joinery. Starting with a door for an old friend, the order book was constantly filled with individual customer requests.

About growing up

Soon, Fehlmann was able to rely on recommendations. One hundred percent customer satisfaction is still his recipe for success today. With the increase in orders, the demand for work space also increased. Therefore, in 2012, the large new building of the woodworking shop was built a few hundred meters further along on the other side of the street. Three years later, the 17 employees who moved with the company at the time became twice as many. Today, the joinery employs 50 people. 

The CNC machine taken over from those early days was replaced by a HOMAG CNC in 2000. From then on, HOMAG Switzerland also became the main contact for new machine solutions for the joinery. After the move to the new building in particular, Heinz Fehlmann was increasingly committed to the continuous further development of the machine pool. After all, there is plenty of room for this in the new workshop, which has a surface area of 3.100 m². The working area now accommodates four CNC machines, an edge banding machine, a cutting system including storage system and assembly, a sanding machine and a spraying robot. All large industrial machines at the company today bear the HOMAG logo.

The digitalization of the joinery has progressed with major steps from 2019 onwards. Newly created social media accounts (especially Instagram and LinkedIn) are just the beginning. The digital assistants in particular have ensured greater productivity in wood processing. Here, Fehlmann relies on a mixture of HOMAG and imos software. For example, from HOMAG, the company uses woodWOP, woodStore and woodCommander as well as Cut Rite. 

Why HOMAG?

It is the reliability and innovative power of HOMAG that Fehlmann particularly values. As managing director, he is grateful for his open-minded team, which is always open to innovation. Because it is only with efficient machine equipment and staff willing to learn that the company can meet the challenges of digitalization and remain competitive. "This is a continuous process that requires continuous further development," says Fehlmann. 

He also emphasizes the excellent quality of the machines. From the first use through the decades, the workpiece is consistently produced in the desired quality. The commissioning of new machines is, in his opinion, smooth and uncomplicated. He doesn't hear anything different from his staff, either. 

Thinking in visions

Fehlmann still has some plans aimed at digitally differentiated work and high-level craftsmanship. He would like to see continuous production in the future so that the work is also simplified for his employees. Specifically, he is looking at a digital high-bay warehouse as a new acquisition. From a higher level of technology, Fehlmann would like to further expand the private customer share of project orders.

In a few years time, however, the full-blood carpenter will also be able to take his well-earned retirement. This gradually brings the issue of business succession to the table – the company could be taken over within the family by Fehlmann's son. He is currently based in Los Angeles, where he works as a production manager in a large joinery, gathering his own experience away from the family business. "Time will tell," Heinz Fehlmann utters his closing words calmly and boldly knocks on the fine walnut table.