Introducing Automation to Improve Sanding Quality & Productivity

Fabridor was facing inconsistencies in the quality of their MDF doors due to the manual sanding operations. Changes in shifts and labor efficiency during the day made it hard to achieve predictable output, especially during peak demand periods.

The physical and repetitive nature of sanding tasks also created an employee retention challenge. An increased churn meant an additional 3-4 weeks to train new employees, which ultimately contributed to quality and productivity losses. Fabridor needed a long-term solution to address quality, productivity and retention.

After 2.5 years of research to find the right partner, Fabridor chose Vention due to their professionalism, responsiveness, and willingness to invest time to create a custom solution. The cobot line deployed for Fabridor highlights the ability of Vention’s automation technology to adapt to customers’ specific needs and requirements.

The end-to-end service from the Vention team, including on-site deployment support and training made sure that Fabridor could start sanding doors in one day from installation. The intuitive software made the cobot solution as easy to use as their manual sanders for Fabridor’s employees, ensuring a smooth transition.

In just six weeks after deploying the cobot line, Fabridor saw a 31% increase in productivity, with the potential to exceed 40% in the future. The automated sanding solution also significantly improved the quality and consistency of their cabinet doors, earning positive reviews from customers. Additionally, the sanding and paper-changing processes led to a noticeable reduction in sanding paper costs.

Vention’s solution also addressed Fabridor’s key labor challenges. With the same output now achievable with half the workforce, Fabridor was able to reassign their most skilled employees to more rewarding tasks. By integrating technology, they not only elevated the sanding roles into more valued and fulfilling positions but also enhanced employee retention.