Cells work well for Barbosa Cabinets: 1999.

Barbosa Cabinets has found that workcells are an efficient way to manage a huge volume of workflow by optimizing the productivity of each employee. This is a simple concept in which operations are "compartmentalized" into specific areas or "cells."

Each cell is designed to handle a specific task with as few shared components as possible. Therefore, the cabinet door manufacturing cell has all of the equipment needed to manufacture doors. Thus, workers do not have to walk over to the face-frame manufacturing cell to use the table saw or borrow a nail gun.

The workcell concept used by Barbosa required a substantial investment in equipment to allow each cell to function as a separate entity. For example, the company has 10 saws, including two beam saws, a vertical panel saw, a countertop saw and six table saws.