When you don't want to wait a month for furniture fronts, you buy CNC

Finding solutions involving more efficient machinery is the right and safest way to solve production problems. This is the conclusion reached by the furniture manufacturing company Neagu Mob in Moinești after waiting for more than a month for the furniture fronts ordered from the partners he worked with. The high demand was increasing delivery times far beyond the patience of his customers. So he decided to make them himself. The solution came from Dan Pruteanu - Wood IQ in the form of a 3-axis CNC and a folding press. But let's pick up the thread of events, because there's a story here too.

From timber transportation to furniture stores and then furniture production

Lucian Neagu started his activity in the 2000s by delivering timber to furniture factories, collaborating in particular with a factory in Focșani. At one point the owner of the factory told him that it would be a good idea, if he was still coming with wood, to return with furniture. So he opened his first furniture shop in Comănești in 2004.

Opening the store turned out to be a good idea. Demand was high and before long he opened another one in Moinești, then one each in Bacău and Onești. Now, in 2019, he is left with just the first two. For the other areas he has collaborators with their own stores.

During all this time, the collaboration with the furniture manufacturer from Focsani continued. He also came up with the idea to start producing chipboard furniture. Demand was growing and waiting times were increasing. His partner told him he couldn't do more and faster and suggested that he should start producing. The suggestion gave him courage, especially as they had become friends in the meantime, so he rented a space, bought a circular and a cartoning machine, hired a few experienced people and started production.

A hasty move gave him a chance to have his own place

He had been working for some time, had orders, when the space he was in was sold and he had to move at short notice. He had to find a solution quickly and so ended up buying some dilapidated old warehouses on a hillside. He quickly moved machinery and materials and started from scratch. He cleaned the place out just long enough to finish his orders and then renovated. Today only a small part of the old warehouses remains as a testament.

He was producing again when he ran into trouble. A fire in the factory started it all over again. He was insured, but only on the production side, not the whole building, so he received very little money. But he was lucky enough to benefit from a form of loan for those who hire the unemployed. So he was able to rebuild the old hall and in time, he built a new one next door. The new hall has upholstery, sofas. He has both a mechanical workshop, where they make the metal frames, and a tailoring workshop, for the sofa covers and cushions.

The long waiting time for folding doors led to the purchase of a 3-axis CNC and a folding press

The furniture made at Neagu Mob is made with a chipboard frame and veneered MDF fronts. In the past the fronts came from recognized manufacturers on the market. But there were delivery delays and customers were less and less willing to wait. So he decided he needed machinery to make his own fronts.

He solicited bids from several firms. He was picky, money was tight, so the circle of those who could fit kept narrowing. Even reps from some big firms in the industry referred him to Wood IQ. He had known Dan Pruteanu for a long time so he contacted him.

Wood IQ provided him with a 3-axis CNC 2030Pro ATC and a press for veneering. The CNC is sturdy, solid, so that a 2800×2080 mm MDF board can be loaded onto it and machined. The CNC is equipped with an industrial computer for parameter selection and programming, on which future machining can be simulated and which can be connected to the network. It is intuitive and easy to use, according to Lucian Neagu. The operator now working on the CNC is an engineer, but his passion for computer games helps him more.

The 2030 Pro ATC 3-axis CNC 2030 Pro has a tool magazine with automatic tool selection and machining is done accurately thanks to 4 Delta servomotors. The speed reaches 24000 rpm with a machining accuracy of 0.05 mm/300 mm. It can cut the 18 mm thick MDF board in a single pass. The nesting function allows optimized cuts, reducing material waste.

The press laminator applies the various colored foils to the profiled panels obtained by CNC. Before pressing, a special adhesive is applied to the panels, which is sanded after drying. After folding, the panels are mounted on the chipboard frame. The CNC's capacity to produce profiled panels is more than they need at the moment so they can produce for others. They have already started to have customers for front panels.

Caring for people has kept him free from staff turnover

Despite all the problems he has had over the years, Lucian Neagu is a man who exudes peace and tranquility. He is not angry with anyone and always looks ahead. Perhaps because of this way of being, he has been able to turn every unpleasant moment in the past into an opportunity. He is always among people, in the factory and has a very good relationship with them.

This was the first place in the country where I didn't hear the owner complaining about staff shortages. He's been working with the same core group of people since he started, and he says no one's left yet. He has 30 employees of which 20 are in production. For them he built modern changing rooms and toilets in the new hall. He was going to build a canteen, but people said they were better off on food stamps.

Factory and house together on a hillside

At the end we chatted for a while in the gazebo outside, between the two halls. One of Lucian's three daughters was studying there for her exams. That's how I found out that the house is also here, on this hillside that he also reinforced. The view is very beautiful and we really thought it was a great place for a guesthouse or a restaurant. He also planted trees on the edge so the soil would settle down and not go downhill.

Talking to us he told us that it's not very simple, the new machines come with extra costs, but he realizes that it can't be otherwise. If you want to have quality and deliver your goods on time you need modern and efficient machinery.

Good luck, Lucian Neagu!