Kimball commits to home furniture.

Kimball International takes off in a new direction as it launches its first comprehensive residential furniture collections.

An artist signing a painting cannot help but feel somewhat immortal. He likes to believe that as long as his work survives, his name will be remembered.

To a furniture designer who does not craft the final work, satisfaction must come from other sources - perhaps knowing that he has successfully solved a storage problem, chosen materials well or provided a new look for an age-old form. The name under the table or inside the drawer is not his own.

To Ron Stilwell, an independent North Carolina designer, personal satisfaction comes when his furniture is aesthetically pleasing, offers consumers good selection and exceptional value, and performs well at the retail level. A service-oriented designer, Stilwell also is gratified when a line of furniture he designed goes through the factory smoothly. And lastly, Stilwell is especially pleased these days with the name affixed to more than 70 tables, chairs and chests of his design: Kimball Home.

"The name Kimball is synonymous with quality," Stilwell said, "and this furniture reflects the company's superb craftsmanship." Cherry Falls and Oak Meadow, Stilwell's solid wood collections for dining room, bedroom and occasional, were introduced in April, as Kimball International began a major foray into the residential furnishings market. In October, Kimball Home will launch two additional solid wood collections by Stilwell - one pine and one maple.

A New Direction

Stilwell's lines represent a new marketing direction for the residential furniture division of Kimball international of Jasper, IN. A name associated with fine pianos since 1867, Kimball is also known for of_ rice, hotel, motel and healthcare furniture; Victorian and French period reproductions; and its Traditions bedrooms.

The new collections, Cherry Falls and Oak Meadow, add up to broader product lines with more details and more SKUs (stockkeeping units). The furniture will retail in the medium to upper medium price range.

Kimball's marketing people refer to the collections as "contemporized traditional" to indicate eclectic styling, versatile functions and informal appearance. Traditional elements like cabriole legs and carved shells add an antique flavor. But on second glance, this is not grandma's typical furniture.

Unusual proportions of chests, wall units and armoires allow extra storage or accommodate 32-inch televisions, without taking extra floor space. Taller than usual sideboards and nightstands, an uncommon Indiana cupboard and a tilt-top swan table that appear to be "collectibles" can be adapted to period, country or eclectic settings.

Anticipation

Anticipating the new lines, Stilwell and Kimball Home sales manager Paul Wahl spent several weeks researching furniture in the marketplace. They evaluated styles, functionality, design elements, finish colors, hardware and other materials before proceeding to production.

In their initial trips, Stilwell and Wahl found solid wood carries the most weight on the retail floor. "The customer wants a yes or no answer to the question, 'is it solid wood?"' Wahl said.

Braced by a nurturing new logo, "Furnishing Your Life," Kimball's objective is to make furniture that especially appeals to women, according to Wahl. "In two-income homes with more discretionary dollars, women generally make the major decisions in home furnishing purchases," Wahl said.

"Our intent always has been to use elements of good design to create furniture with more value," Stilwell said. "Here we have a mix of basic and innovative pieces with more versatile functions and perceived value, and more actual value, than the competition's."

Perceived value goes beyond the overall appeal of furniture to elements like consistency of carving, depth of finish, hardware quality and "fit" (of joints) - what consumers are able to see of construction.

Achieving Value

To help Kimball Home maintain mid-range price points and still provide extra value, Stilwell and his design engineer, Max Waters, set up a platform for standardization. This meant creating a framework of common interior dimensions to use for the two new collections and as a springboard for future lines.

Common sizes for such parts as side panels (width) and drawers (height) were established, giving the advantage of running high volumes for one collection or alternate collections of different species without numerous, costly machine changeovers. In addition, consistency of drawer opening dimensions is important for efficiency in positioning back rails and insertion of dust panels.

John Thyen, senior vice president of sales and marketing, said, "Today's furniture consumer recognizes and wants value and speedy delivery." Using standard sizes helps Kimball achieve those goals.

Another means is to reduce through-put time. Processes that previously required several machines are completed in one CNC work center. The plant has four Busellato CNC machining centers from Delmac Machinery Group in a central area and a CMS machining center, all of which result in improved accuracy, tighter tolerances and reduced labor costs as well. Other major equipment includes: a Gabbiani CNC double-end tenoner with stacked tooling, a Thermwood four-head CNC routing center, a DMC top sander from Tekna Advanced Technologies and a Heesemann widebelt sander.

In Jasper, three independent production lines operate simultaneously. The plant can changeover or balance a line as orders dictate. Employees are cross-trained, and because all operations in the Jasper plant are documented to ISO 9002 standards for quality assurance, descriptions of each process are available for everyone to follow. Recognized worldwide, ISO 9002 standards provide:

* a system for achieving conformance to manufacturing specifications,

* the means to improve product and service consistency, and

* the means to meet and exceed customer expectations.

Kevin Manley, plant manager, commented that a new person can read the documentation for a particular process and go to work, following the same steps a more experienced worker would take, and produce a Product of the same basic quality and value. "This maintains consistency of the product and eliminates supervisors, because each person on the line is responsible for complying with the process description," he said.

"Everyone is focused on streamlining and documenting the best ways to carry out production," Manley added. "It keeps people on their toes and the company on the leading edge. It makes us better."

The Jasper plant has a significant base of experience. Average longevity is 16 years, and several production employees have 35 years seniority, or more.

Distinguishing Details

The Cherry Falls Collection carries a decorative carved shell motif. A double-swan-neck design element defines a table base and rocker arms and is repeated in custom, antiqued brass hardware from Keeler Brass. A poster bed features tall tapered and beveled-comer bedposts and brass bolt covers.

Oak Meadow's cottage nature derives from chairs and tables with sturdy octagonal legs, detailed routing on dining chair armposts, carved and pierced back splats and farmhouse-style dining bureau with nine drawers and bail hardware. Stop-flute pilasters accent some case goods.

Eight pieces have been selected for decoration in Meadowlark translucent whitewash finish. In production, decals will replace the hand-decoration of the April Market prototypes. A multiple-step catalyzed finish protects the decorations.

The furniture is distinguished by framed and raised panel doors and triple-shaped ogee edges. Drawers are joined by French dovetails (in front) and American dovetails (rear). Kimball's dust-proofing method is extraordinary. Dust panels are grooved into the side panel as part of the case structure.

Workable at the Retail Level

Cherry Falls and Oak Meadow are not aiming for extensive gallery-type showrooms, Thyen said, but are designed to be visualized as collectors' selections. He said a retailer can receive good returns with as little as 1,500 or 2,000 square feet of space.

The furniture is practical for small to medium stores to display, Thyen added, because individual pieces are flexible and not limited to bedrooms or living rooms. He predicted that consumers will buy a piece here and there and build from that.

RELATED ARTICLE: Kimball Marked By Diversity

KIMBALL INTERNATIONAL, established in 1950, manufactures and markets a broad range of consumer products, as well as contract furniture and products for other companies. Vertical integration begins with 12,000 acres of timberland, two sawmills, three dimension and lumber plants, plus veneering and laminating facilities.

Office furniture is made by Kimball Office Furniture, National Office Furniture, Harpers and Kimball Europe Ltd. Kimball Furniture Reproductions (acquired in 1969) makes period reproductions. Kimball Lodging makes and markets furniture for hospitality, health care and university and government facilities. Kimball Home, launched in October 1994, includes residential and home office furniture.

The Contract Mfg. Group comprises: Jasper Corp., maker of brand-name TV cabinets and residential furniture; Jasper Plastics; ToolPro; and Heritage Hills, a major supplier to the electronics industry. Kimball Electronics Group produces computer keyboards, modules for anti-lock braking systems, other electronic assemblies and engineering and design services.

Pianos no longer are made by Kimball in the United States, but in Austria by its subsidiary, L. Bosendorfer Klavierfabrik (est. 1828).

Kimball employs approximately 8,800 persons in 16 states, Canada, England, Austria and Mexico. Sales figures for fiscal year 1997 were $992 million, an all-time high.

RELATED ARTICLE: Achieving ISO 9002 Certification

Since July 1956, Kimball's manufacturing quality systems have been registered to ISO 9002 standards of quality assurance and strictly monitored. Developed by the International Organization for Standardization, ISO 9002 is recognized in more than 90 countries. Although the standards are common in the office furniture industry, Kimball Home officials said theirs may be the only residential furniture company in the United States whose systems are registered.

Under Gary Beckman, vice-president of planning and quality systems, the company spent two years in preparation for the certification. Some 20 areas were documented, in addition to production, including purchasing and handling, storage and packaging. An independent group representing the National Standards Authority of Ireland conducted a three-day audit of the procedures and documentation.

According to Kevin Manley, plant manager, consistency of product quality is maintained because each process is done the same every day, whether by the same person, or a new employee, because working instructions for the process are there for them to follow. Every operation has a process description. An "owner" is assigned to each process, and signs it, in effect saying, "This is the proper way." Anyone has a right to make changes as long as the owner signs. This provides the means to improve the manufacturing process systematically and promotes cross-training. Employees receive on-the-job training in order to become certified for the jobs they do, and they must be signed off by the owner of the operation.