Store
fixture success is in the details
Providing complete logistic support and on-time jobs
to clients spells success for this company.
Building store fixtures is much more than just putting
together physical structures. Most jobs involve a variety
of materials, complex electrical connections, and lighting
that must come together precisely and at the right time
to make it all work. If one element of the job is wrong,
the whole effect can be lost. Bruce Moon, owner and president
of Moon inc., says this 21-year-old vista, Calif., business
has grown into a thriving company by taking on the nightmares
nobody else wants to tackle. Using computers, CNC automation
and a competent staff, Moon has built his company's reputation
on providing solutions for every kind of job.
Taking on the nightmares:
Moon makes getting the job done on time the highest priority,
and as a result the company has never missed delivery in
time for a store's grand opening. Moon also realizes if
a job isn't done right, or if any part of the mix is incorrect,
the whole job can look bad. As a result Moon decided to
make it his responsibility to make sure that everything
that affects the company's fixtures will be followed through.
This might mean making sure the outlets are set in by the
electrician so that they are in exactly the right place
to be unobtrusive for the fixture's electrical needs. Or
it might translate to making sure the lighting is going
to set the fixture and the products displayed off to best
advantage. Moon promises his clients that once they sign
on with Moon their worries will become his worries. "We
take on the job of coordinating with all these other trades
and make sure everything comes together. Our overall goal
is to finish that job and make it look good," he says. More
and more stores are trying to achieve a unique look, Moon
says, and that not only bodes well for the industry, but
especially for his company, since it does the truly one-of-a-kind
jobs. "Our flagship-type projects are ones that most shops
will back away from.
They're way too complicated as far as all the elements
that are involved in the particular project," he says. Taking
a project from that first idea to a finished job involves
a number of steps. Most jobs start with some conceptual
drawing of the project that has enough information for a
bid. Once the bid is accepted, the real work begins with
all elements of the job plotted carefully. Mister Moon explains
the job to the project manager and the engineering staff;
shop drawings will be created from the original drawings
using AutoCAD and pattern systems. The shop drawings, color
and material samples are submitted in triplicate to the
architect or owner for approval. Next, engineering will
break the job down into components, cutting lists, etc.,
with the computer providing much of the information. A bill
of materials is created so orders can be placed. The drawings
finally go to the foreman to set production in motion. JIT
manufacturing each job is built using JIT manufacturing
and Moon says that there are no hard and fast rules for
the production process. The company cuts most flat panel
sizes with a Holz-her ca-80 beam saw, while a Morbidelli
Author 504 point-to-point machine is used for shaped parts,
inlay work and any kind of line boring. Design information
is converted to machine language using Cim-block and edge
banding is done on the Holz- her 1410 Edgebander. If it
makes more sense on a particular job to use the delta sliding
table saw or the Holz-her vertical panel saw, the staff
is free to choose those options. A lot of the shop staff
chose the CNC machining center when given a choice. "The
guys are spoiled because they love the accuracy," Moon says.
"Things fit consistently." When the beam saw and the CNC
machining center were purchased, the company looked primarily
at the timesavings the machines offered. Throughput wasn't
even considered. Throughput was enhanced with CNC equipment.
Before everything would be cut at once and then move down
the line. Now the work is done in batches and the production
flow has improved and bottlenecks were eliminated. Moon
says that it's just more efficient with everybody busy.
In the past mock- ups and fixtures were prepared using jigs.
Now everything is done using the CNC machining center. "It's
quick. The guys are very proficient at programming it. For
jig work the operator can program it from the machine,"
says Moon. Often the initial work is done in the office,
he says, but adjustments to the mockup or parts are done
directly at the machine.
When Moon looks at purchasing equipment now, he focuses
on whether it will fit in with his JIT manufacturing process
and if it will link with the current software. Currently,
he is looking to relieve the bottleneck in finishing by
enlarging his finishing area. Whenever Moon comes across
another woodworking business, he says that his primary interest
is always in job costing. "My biggest concern is not machines
but job costing. How do you know if you're making any money?
The name of the game is making money and if you don't make
any money, you've got to at least know what (the job) is
costing you," he says. Moon has set up a proprietary tracking
system that follows a job daily, keeping close tabs on daily
labor. He receives updated daily reports that allow him
to see where a job is in terms of labor and materials and
how close to budget it is. He calls this system his early
warning detection system.
"Because we're able to capture the data for the labor early
on, it gives us some opportunity to reassess what we're
doing and possibly save this job or reduce the loss on this
job that we're going to take," says Moon. "Without that
you're looking at old data, three- to six-month financials."
Moon does such a preponderance of distinct fixtures that
often a mockup needs to be created. Mockups of an entire
job or just one aspect of a job will often be done to work
out some detail. We'll come in and miniaturize an entire
storefront down to scale to make sure the mechanics of a
door will work," says Moon. For Moon it comes down to making
sure the product the client wants will work and will be
able to be moved into its location through the door. Recently
Moon took on a job that consisted of making a leather-covered
storefront, something he had never done before. By making
proto-type samples he guaranteed that the client was happy
with the look of the samples and hence the final results.
Sometimes mockups are done to expedite a job. A jewelry
case, for example, might require special optically clear
glass. To avoid delaying the whole process, duplicate mockups
of the top of the case will be made and one given to the
glass vendor and another kept in the shop. Shelves and the
structure of the case can be made using the mockup for measurements
at the same time that the glass is being prepared and in
the end theoretically everything is sure to fit. This elaborate
mahogany wine rack, below, highlights the wine collection
of an Italian restaurant in southern California. The job
involved coordinating a fine metal bar running across the
top shelf, a granite counter and the lighting above the
unit.
Bruce Moon, owner of Moon Inc., believes that one of the
biggest problems the store fixture industry has to deal
with is labor- finding good employees and keeping them.
Moon is very proud of the employee retention rate his company
has. One employee has been with the company for 18 years,
almost from its inception, and another for 14 years. A number
of employees are reaching their 1-year anniversary. Moon
says that he gives employees a good work environment, good
benefits and the opportunity to grow within the company.
"We ask the guys where they want to go with this company.
As opportunities arise, we give them the chance to pursue
them," he says. Benefits that the company provides are health
insurance, a 401-K retirement plan, paid vacation, a four
day/10-hour-a-day-week with overtime for extra time worked
and a profit-sharing plan. Moon has also used some innovative
ways to reward attendance and safety. If employees are on
time and ready to work on the bell for four weeks in a row,
there's an opportunity for a bonus. If a shop goes for a
period of time without an injury, workers are rewarded.
"A lot of the perks I've come up with I don't have to administer,"
says Moon. " I just have to finance them. All of the systems
that I have in place are peer-type systems, meaning that
if one person cheats, he's not cheating me, he's taking
money out of everyone else's pockets."
