In order to be able to respond faster and better to the growing demand from its professional customers - carpenters, kitchen companies and interior designers - for round and curved shapes, Kempa invested in a Columbus vacuum press about two years ago. The first smaller press was soon followed by a second, larger model. Managing director Paul Maeyninckx is very satisfied. "Round and curved shapes are particularly popular in interior design at the moment. Compared to the traditional method, we can now work much faster and deliver exactly the desired radius. As a supplier to interior design professionals, this has to be right down to the smallest dimension."

Kempa from Herentals is less known to the general public. The company enjoys even more of a name and reputation among professional interior designers, kitchen companies and carpenters. With currently around 45 employees, Kempa focuses entirely on supplying interior design professionals with custom-made wood products. The customer base ranges from smaller carpentry shops to well-known kitchen builders. In addition to a fully equipped carpentry shop, Kempa has its own paint shop.

Extensive machine park

Paul Maeyninckx: "As a full-service provider of custom-made interior woodwork, we have to have a very extensive and modern machine park. We are not a niche provider, but offer the full range of options, including painting. Until a few years ago, we did custom-made work in the traditional way and way with round and curved shapes. This meant that we had to fix a workpiece for a certain time with clamps between a fixture and a contramal. In this way we pressed the desired shape. Depending on the thickness of the workpiece, you first had to make a contramal. In addition, it was not always obvious to achieve exactly the desired radius. Of course, all of this took additional time."

The Rolls Royce of presses

The idea of investing in a Columbus vacuum press had been in the air for some time. Paul Maeyninckx: "When you invest, you have to choose quality. When it comes to vacuum presses with membranes, there is no better solution than Columbus. It is the Rolls Royce of presses. After some additional research, I was more than convinced . However, it took some time before the first investment was made. Ultimately, it was our commercial employees who convinced me to actually take the step towards a first press."

A smaller model

For its first investment, Kempa opted for a smaller model. "It takes some practice and skill to create exactly the bend or round shape you want to achieve with the membrane. I personally set out to do this, as a hobby project so to speak. In order to exploit the full potential of this machine, you need some know-how. how. Once you have mastered it, it works great. I then passed on this knowledge and experience to my employees so that they too can achieve the desired result perfectly. In this context, it is particularly nice that Klaas from Fleetwood is happy to share his knowledge He gives lots of tips and know-how to get the most out of the presses. He travels a lot and can pass on his experience in the industry."

Capacity reached

The first press was soon used particularly intensively for a large number of orders. "You can't press a round or curved shape in a few minutes. The workpiece has to lie in the press for a while. Since round and curved shapes are currently particularly popular in interior design, we quickly reached the limit of capacity with a press. In addition, we received regular requests for round shapes or the bending of larger furnishing elements. As a supplier, we of course have to be able to cover the entire spectrum.

Deliver what the customer demands