Specialized in the production of made-to-measure staircases, Escaliers Plasse primarily targets a professional clientele. To boost manufacturing efficiency and expand its service offering, the company has recently introduced a new finishing line supplied by SCM, with a particular focus on environmental sustainability…
Since 1973, Escaliers Plasse has been designing and selling custom-made staircases, mostly crafted from wood. Choosing to focus on tailor-made products is, for director Jean-Charles Lechaux, a real competitive strength. “Our staircases adapt to various residential contexts, and it’s precisely this flexibility that sets us apart from the competition,” says the manager. An engineer by training, Jean-Charles Lechaux joined the company in 2016 with several years of experience in the wood industry behind him. Today, Escaliers Plasse employs 95 people and produces an average of 6,000 staircases per year.
In 1992, the French company became part of the Huet Group, a major player in the carpentry sector based in Vendée. The company serves a professional customer base, including independent home builders, carpenters, architects, and real estate developers.
“In terms of sourcing, we mainly select semi-finished products so we can focus as much as possible on our core activity — stair manufacturing,” explains Jean-Charles Lechaux. As for materials, Escaliers Plasse primarily uses rubberwood and beech, but also — to a lesser extent — Scots pine or more refined woods like oak.
With its 11-person sales team, Escaliers Plasse operates throughout nearly all of France. “What sets us apart is the level of service we provide,” Lechaux says, adding: “We support our clients throughout the entire process — from consulting to measurements, from manufacturing to on-site delivery and installation.”
INCREASINGLY INDUSTRIALIZED AND TRACKED PROCESSES
Although Escaliers Plasse mainly produces wooden staircases, the company also offers a line of metal stairs. “Our goal is to industrialize our production processes,” summarizes Jean-Charles Lechaux. “After adding CNC machining technology to our equipment pool, we’re now planning to purchase a moulder,” he adds.
This move stems from the manager’s desire to “ensure long-term viability for our production systems by modernizing and industrializing them.”
The aim is to control the entire production chain — from design, handled by a dedicated in-house team, to finishing.
On the factory floor, various machines perform different tasks: cutting, profiling, CNC routing, assembling, and finishing. For milling, the company uses several latest-generation SCM CNC machining centers.
“The production process follows the flow of parts,” explains Hervé Boudaud, Head of Methods and Development at Escaliers Plasse. “We distinguish various production flows — straight steps, winder steps, stringers, newel posts, and balustrades. Mapping out these flows allows us to optimize the passage of parts through machines.”
To further streamline operations, the company uses software to calculate and laser-project optimized part layouts, which are then assembled manually. As for deliveries, Escaliers Plasse relies on its own fleet of trucks.
A STRATEGIC ADVANTAGE
“For the past five years, we’ve been offering painted staircases, and for about a year and a half, we’ve brought part of that finishing process in-house — leaving only bicolor or lacquered products to subcontractors,” says Jean-Charles Lechaux.
This decision has allowed the French firm to expand its offering in line with market demand and increase its order intake.
These needs and goals aligned with the choice of SCM. “We decided to invest in a Superfici finishing line from SCM to benefit from state-of-the-art technologies that would enable us to offer a complete service to our clients,” he continues. “We especially appreciated that SCM allowed us to run tests in Italy at their Technology Center in Villasanta.”
“By taking on part of our finishing process, we’ve been able to grow our order book and win new contracts,” emphasizes Jean-Charles Lechaux, “and this extension of our offering aligns perfectly with an underlying trend that continues to grow.”
THE FINISHING LINE
The high-performance Superfici finishing line includes a loading station, sanding, and automatic spray application of finishing products. Operating at a speed of two meters per minute, the line can process about 400 square meters over an eight-hour shift.
“It’s a finishing line for flat products such as furniture panels, doors, and stairs, with thicknesses ranging from 10 to 80 millimeters and an effective spray width of 1.3 meters,” explains Saverio Ghiringhelli, Product Area Manager at Superfici.
“The aim of this solution,” he continues, “is to enhance productivity through automation and improve quality by optimizing the amount of finishing product used. And not only that — this equipment also prioritizes operator health: everything is contained within the cabin to minimize inhalation risks and skin contact with the paint.”
ENVIRONMENTAL AWARENESS
The line is controlled by a PLC connected to the internet, enabling remote technical support. “The machine is networked, allowing us to transmit data such as production levels or surface area treated to optimize the process,” says Saverio Ghiringhelli.
Thanks to the Optispray software, which takes into account all production parameters, both quality and quantity of paint can be optimized. Optispray was developed by SCM for automated surface management, ensuring a consistent user experience across all of the group’s machines.
In terms of environmental protection, Escaliers Plasse has also opted for a water-based paint. “The product is sprayed inside a cabin,” explains the SCM representative, “to best protect the operators’ health.” Still on the topic of ecology, it’s worth noting that air evacuation is minimized, meaning less heating is needed inside the factory — which leads to significant energy savings.
“It’s even possible, if desired, to recover excess paint.”
The drying cabin installed at Escaliers Plasse measures 10 meters by 6 and is equipped with a ventilation system. It can accommodate a large number of drying trolleys.
In addition to this SCM finishing line, Escaliers Plasse is already planning further investments. “The next phase will specifically involve the internal integration of profiled wood components for our staircases,” concludes Jean-Charles Lechaux. “The market is constantly evolving, so we must keep challenging ourselves, continually renewing our product offering while improving production costs.”
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