Master joiner Andreas Alfes, together with his team of six employees in Wenden, designs, plans, and builds high-quality, design-focused furniture and interior fit-outs. In addition to private clients, his customer base also includes medical practices, clinics, technology museums, and hair salons. Another very interesting and important segment is the complete interior fit-out of box bodies for motorhomes. The joinery also outfits timber-frame houses for a renowned manufacturer with custom furniture and interior fit-outs.
In terms of materials, the joinery handles the full spectrum, from panel processing, veneer, and solid wood to lacquered surfaces and solid surface materials.
Tinkerer and Perfectionist
Andreas Alfes founded the business in a garage in 1991, immediately after finishing master craftsman school (Tübingen). He initially worked in a rented workshop before building a new facility at the current location in 1995. Then as now, complete spatial planning and interior design are among the company's particular strengths.
Alfes needs challenges and describes himself as an "adventurer." The passionate enduro and trial rider enjoys working on one of his Opel GTs or his VW LT after hours. He is a tinkerer and a perfectionist. This is also evident in the various designs and projects he has completed, where strong design always meets sophisticated technical production details.
The master joiner himself handles customer acquisition and sales. "Concepts, drafts, and detailed planning are then developed together as a team. We work extremely well and are solution-oriented as a team, complementing each other with our outstanding individual strengths."
Software also plays an important role. Alfes has been working with the industry-specific software from Kuhnle practically since he started his business. Since 1998, he has also been using Palette CAD. "The interface works great and allows for a very seamless workflow."
Consistent Software Use
The aspects of sketching, visualizing, and presenting also play a very important role in the joinery. That is why every project is planned in 3D using Palette CAD by default. "We want our customers to see exactly what they will be getting from us right from the outset," explains Andreas Alfes.
Once the project is commissioned, Palette transfers the data from the completed 3D design to Kuhnle for the bill of materials. From there, the data is fed into the Ardis optimization software, which provides the horizontal panel saw, a Format4 Kappa Automatic 80, with optimized cutting patterns. Here, all parts receive a label after cutting.
The CNC programs for the 5-axis CNC Format 4 Profit H350 are generated by Palette CAM directly from the 3D design data and stored on the network. The machine operator currently still retrieves the programs from there. For the future, the plan is to add barcodes to the part labels to start the CNC program directly at the machine by scanning them.
"We Want to Make Customers Happy"
"Currently, business is good and our processes are running smoothly," says a satisfied Andreas Alfes. But he also knows: "You have to invest when business is slow, if not before." In terms of machinery, he is well-equipped with his recent investments in a CNC machining center, a sliding table saw, and a horizontal panel saw from Felder's premium brand, Format 4. In this regard, he feels excellently supported, advised, and assisted by the Felder branch in Lohmar.
The digitalization of site measurements is still on his agenda. He sees great potential in consistently capturing data digitally from the very beginning and then using it seamlessly in the CAD software.
He sums up his goal and philosophy as follows: "We want to make our customers happy. To achieve that, no challenge is too great."
