This week we received a finished product picture that involved two of my favorite items! This design incorporated both the Basket Weave island leg (1774) and the Grapevine Molding (7422).
We recently held a drawing for employees to win a few overstock items. Among these were the 1774 in Rubberwood, and Russ (from Shipping) won a set of them. He had some friends over at Maple Ridge Cabinetry construct and finish the piece below, using the legs he had won.
The hand carving on the Basket Weave leg is incredible, giving the appearance of flexibility to something that is not actually woven. On this particular piece, I love the way that the rich, dark finish accents the “woven” section of the leg, as well as the fullness of the Grapevine Molding. The intricately hand carved details are not hidden, but neither are they overplayed. Putting two components that are both so artistically done into one piece of furniture could easily lead to a crowded feeling; but the rich, dark tones of the finish create the perfect medium. Instead of crowding, these different styles accent each other just enough, yielding a gorgeous end result.
We have just received our copy of the 2010 Annual Congressional Report for our Congressional District, and we are quite pleased to find a picture of our congressman (Paul Broun) touring the Osborne Wood Products plant with our Lean Champion, Bob Ward.
On Thursday, June 3, 2010 we hosted a tour for the Stephens County Economic Development Authority. Attending the tour were several project leaders with that initiative, including Congressman Broun. Because of the success of Osborne Wood Products – as well as the extent of our involvement in our community – the SCEDA wanted to tour the plant and see our production team in action, as well as learn a bit about the company’s history and key components in our growth as a company. Some points that were of interest to the SCEDA group were our business goals (such as being able to ship every order same-day in the not-too-distant future), as well as the fact that – when many in GA were having to lay workers off due to the current economic environment – we were actually able to bring on additional staff and keep “going strong” as a business.
Pictured below is the photo of Mr. Ward with Congressman Broun, followed by the page excerpt from the Congressional Report.
We here at Osborne Wood Products want to wish everyone a happy Memorial Day. In honor of those who have given their lives in the service of our country, we will be closed for the holiday on Monday, May 21 2010. We will reopen for business on Tuesday at 8:00 A.M. Eastern Standard Time.
Our heartfelt gratitude and condolences go out to the families of those who have lost loved ones in military service. We appreciate your sacrifice.
Hello! We just wanted to inform all of you that we will be closed tomorrow, April 2, 2010, in observance of Good Friday. We will reopen for business 8 AM Eastern Time on Monday, April 5, 2010.
During this time our website will of course still be available to you, for all of your ordering needs. Orders placed over the long weekend will be processed promptly, first thing Monday morning.
We hope that all of you enjoy time with friends and family this weekend. We will see you Monday!
Osborne Wood Products is pleased to present a seminar entitled, “Effective Use of Architectural Embellishment,” during a free luncheon at the Designers Walk in Toronto, Ontario. This much anticipated event is occurring just in time to celebrate the opening of the Osborne Wood Products International Showroom, also located at Designers Walk in the resource center.
Presenting for the seminar will be exterior and interior design professional Tim Revis, who has more than twenty-five years of design experience. Revis presented his Masters Thesis on Historic Preservation and the Twentieth Century Kitchen, and the research for that thesis has given him a distinct perspective on kitchen design, especially where architectural embellishments are concerned.
The luncheon and seminar will commence at 11:30 AM on April 27, 2010. Designers Walk is located at 168 Bedford Rd, Toronto, ON M5R 2K9. Please come and enjoy this enjoyable and educational presentation, and stop by the Osborne Booth. See more details here.
All of us here at Osborne Wood Products are wishing you a very merry Christmas. May the joy of the Christmas Season be very real and tangible to all of you as you celebrate with your loved ones!
We will be closed Christmas Day (Friday, December 25) and will reopen on Monday (December 28). We will also be closed for New Year’s Day on Friday, January 1, 2010 (Can you believe it is 2010??). We hope that you will also be taking the time to rest and enjoy this festive season! Orders placed online between now and Monday will be processed first thing Monday morning! Enjoy the holiday weekend!
Merry Christmas to you and yours from all of us here at Osborne Wood Products!
Every year here at Osborne Wood Products, Inc., we have a company luncheon for Christmas. Everyone enjoys good food and a few hours of down time, while Leon expresses his appreciation for each employee. This is also when the employees give Leon his Christmas gift.
Typically we have enjoyed this event off of the premises, but this year we were excited about trying something new. The local college catered an event for us in our gymnasium. The food was great, with a nice turkey dinner and choices of apple pie or chocolate cake for dessert.
This year Leon’s speech highlighted recent growth, even in the midst of the current economic situation, and the strength that each employee here adds to the picture. It is always good to hear that the company is doing well, but it is amazing to hear from the boss how each and every employee has played a part in that growth.
We presented Leon with a wall-hanging for his office, which he was delighted to receive. After a few more minutes of relaxation, we headed back to work to wrap up the day.
IT, Production, Shipping Right Side (L-R): West, Tim R. Nathan S., Dennis. Left Side (L-R) Jonathan, David, Zachary
Office, Production, and Shipping. Right side (L-R) Janice, Leon, Tim S. Left Side (L-R) Bob W., Olga, Carlos, Noah, Nate L.
No one in the office likes to look at the camera. Right side (L-R) Christian, Bob T., Cindy J. Left Side (L-R) Haden, Martha, Melody
Leon and Janice with the new picture for Leon's office.
Leon and Dennis, who presented Leon with the picture (along with Martha, not pictured)
Tomorrow is Thanksgiving, and we know that we have a great deal to be thankful for here at Osborne Wood Products. Our families and friends around us, an uplifting work environment, and a close knit community are all among them.
Our office will be closed Thursday in observance of Thanksgiving, but we will reopen on Friday to take care of our customers who are not closed for the whole week. The UPS schedule indicates that they will not be shipping on Thursday or Friday, so items ordered after 1:30 PM Eastern Time today and on Friday will likely ship Monday, at the earliest.
Please have a safe and happy holiday. Enjoy the comfort of loved ones this weekend, as we take the time to think about all that we have to be grateful for.
In an effort to expand our market presence, Osborne Wood Products, Inc. looks to increase our physical presence in Canada through trade expos and our first international showroom. “Canada has always been a market for us, though we have been long awaiting an opportunity such as this, to display physical products to a truly international audience,” stated Christian Smedberg, Director of Marketing here at Osborne.
Company CEO Leon Osborne attended the Woodworking Machinery and Supply Expo in Toronto on September 24th and 26th. While he attended primarily in an effort to promote our new international showroom, he was also there to lend support and service at the Woodworking Components Manufacturer’s Association (WCMA) booth. As members of the WCMA in good standing, we have enjoyed their support in many ways, and Mr. Osborne was excited for the opportunity to be of service at their booth. A sampling of Osborne products was on display at the WCMA booth, along with our most current catalog and our new CAD Catalog 4.2.
In addition to meeting new people and making connections with potential customers in the Canadian Market, Mr. Osborne learned much about that market. For instance, he was surprised to l earn that, unlike our own market, the Canadian market is strengthening – with a housing industry that is growing in the double digits. He also learned a great deal about specific ways in which our company can contribute to designers and cabinet makers alike.
Mr. Osborne indicated that he was very satisfied with the trip, overall; stating, “It certainly was a pleasure making friends in Canada, and learning how we can be a source of strength in this demanding market.”
In addition to a presence at the WMS Expo, we will also have a more permanent display in the Toronto Design Center, Designers Walk. Our showroom within Designers Walk should be completed by mid-November.
Designers Walk (www.designerswalk.com) is located in Toronto and provides design professionals an opportunity to view, specify, and purchase exquisite products from suppliers throughout North America. Open to the public, this design center displays appliances, lighting, flooring, paint, tile, and much more – all under one roof.
We will exhibit a full line of cabinet legs, corbels, decorative carvings, as well as other various cabinet components – including our new carved Ionic Column. At Osborne Wood Products, we have been providing quality cabinet and furniture components to the trade for over three decades, and while much of their appeal has been to manufacturers, we are now providing tools and venues for designers, such as this new showroom in Designers Walk.
At Osborne Wood Products, we are excited about the opportunity we have to inspire those around us to make changes for the better. Featuring the information that we have on Lean Manufacturing and on eco-friendly ways of doing business, we are certain that many of you have seen how being “lean” and being “green” can go hand in hand. Today’s post is no exception. We recently decided to do an energy audit, in the interest of Lean Manufacturing, but have realized its implications for helping us to be a greener business, too!
This week we had Bob Hitch come and do an energy audit for us. Hitch is the Project Manager for Energy and Environmental Services at Georgia Tech Enterprise Innovation Institute. He came out to the plant and took a good look at the way we operate, analyzing data, and making observations. While some of that data is still being transformed into usable reports, we have already been able to draw several action points from the audit. Although one of the end goals of an energy audit is a smaller energy bill, the actual measuring rod – so to speak- is kilowatt usage per hour (kwh), so what we are looking for is an overall reduction in kwh from month to month.
We were able to discern the three biggest energy-users in our plant, which is integral to determining how to decrease energy consumption without hindering productivity. In our plant, the Big Three were our dust collection system, the production equipment, and the air conditioning system (during cooling months).
Here are some of the action points derived from that data:
1) The dust collection system has a maximum capacity of 45,000 cubic feet per minute of air removal, but not all of the intakes on the system are constantly in use. We are looking at the possibility of gating the intakes and cycling down the motor using a variable speed drive in order to consume less energy.
2) We are already using High Efficiency T5 (energy reducing) lighting in the offices, and we are currently looking at implementing the use of this same lighting in the shop.
3) We are looking at what the optimal temperature is for each area of the plant (office, warehouse, production floor) to keep the workload on the AC/Heating system as low as possible, while still ensuring a) optimal temperature for working and storing of wood products, and b) comfort of employees.
The data collected from this audit is turned into charts and graphs, giving us easily read sources to compare the usage against in the coming months.
These changes do more than just save money and streamline our processes. They enable us to use less energy, reducing our carbon-footprint even more. This is a great example of how Lean and Green go hand in hand. Waste not, want not, as the old adage goes. Energy Audits and subsequent practical analysis helps you to “waste not” your monetary resources and the resources this planet has to offer!
