02 Finished items Finished items similarly need a place to be stored away from damp, dirt and dust but suffi ciently near to where you serve your customers. There would be a lot of time wasted if they were stored at the far end of your workshop. Again the area would have to be designed to store all diff erent shapes. Further, ensure that you store them face- to-face and back-to-back so as to stop damage by hangers and the like.
03 Moulding storage The fi rst consideration regarding moulding is of course how high are your ceilings? Do you store them horizontally or vertically? Naturally, if you have low ceilings you will have no choice but to store them horizontally. It is unfortunate, but you’re going to need more space to store these mouldings so it may be worth thinking about cutting down your stock and employ more chop frames. There are racks on the market that will enable you to store mouldings horizontally, but you could also consider using guttering built into a rack to keep individual mouldings safe. What about all those small pieces of mouldings left over and what to do with them? Make them into photo frames I hear
you say! How many of those small pieces actually match to make a perfect frame and how many of you spend time sorting through these pieces only to throw them away at a later date because they don’t match? I bet there are a lot of frame shops with a large, or large areas full of small pieces that ‘may be used later’. Just think of all that wasted space. The best thing to do with all these small pieces is write them into your costing and throw away all pieces below a certain size. For good-sized off -cuts, use old cardboard rolls to stand them in.
04 Mountboard storage Ideal areas for storing mountboard are under the workbenches away from damp, dirt and dust. Make sure that you have enough room for your full range. This is fi ne for large sheets, but as you work and start to accumulate smaller off -cuts, putting them back under the bench will fi ll up valuable space and could damage the larger sheets, so it is best to make an area to store/stand these smaller pieces.
05 Glass and board storage It is very important that glass is stored safely and securely, preferably near the area where you intend to cut the glass and to ensure the safe handling when moving them. This will also save on waste and cut
back potential accidents. If you use MDF boards, these should also be stored away from your other boards because of the dust they can create.
06 Workbenches Make sure your workbenches are at a comfortable height, one that allows you to work without bending your back too much. Remember you and your staff have to work at these benches all day. As a rule of thumb, if your workbench is just below your elbows when you are standing comfortably, you should not have a problem. If your staff are of diff ering heights, which in all probability they will be, then you will have to consider the use of plinths for the smaller employee. Further, make sure you have a work area where you can manipulate larger frames. Trying to make such frames on a small workbench can make you stretch and strain too much and raise stress levels.
07 Floor coverings Floor coverings are a very important factor. Stay well clear of concrete fl oors or you’ll only keep brushing dirt and dust around. Think about laying carpet around areas where staff stand and work. This will help keep warmth in, dust down and keep staff happy. Above all, it is important that all fl oor space remains uncluttered for the sake of safety.
08 Lighting and power supplies This is one area often overlooked when designing the work area. It is important that these areas have enough light to ensure that frames are assembled as clean as possible. ‘Bits’ spotted at the assembly stage will save time and embarrassment later should, for want of light, you have to dismantle said frame and remove rogue elements. Power cables and even air pipes are ideal fi tted up the walls and along ceilings so they hang over workbenches, rather than run along the fl oor where they become a possible tripping hazard! Most workshops use fl uorescent lighting and whereas they
prove most economical and longer lasting, using incandescent lighting, including the low voltage halogen variety off ers the best colour rendering properties.
09 Equipment Invest in equipment that is space saving, e.g.; wall-mounted glass and board cutters and design your areas to suit the way you work. Some framers complete each framing job individually; some cut all glass for all orders at once, then all the frames etc. Possibly this may be a time to further asses the way you work.
10 Other areas Think about using space above your head for storage of small tools etc, naturally keeping them within reach. Use the walls around your work area to display samples of your mouldings and mountboard so you can instantly recognise which product to use when reading from the order form. Again, make sure you put tools where you can easily access them. If you or your staff have to spend a minute or so getting tools for a task that you perform say 30 times a day, this action alone will cost you money, whereas building units to enable you to reach tools instead of going to get them will save you money.
Yes you may spend some time redesigning and planning your workshop, but if done correctly you will ensure a more effi cient workplace, happy staff and the potential for increasing profi ts. Well worth closing for refurbishment I say!
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Forget Surf Boarding, Forget Water Boarding, You can even forget Snow Boarding! In the next issue of
We’ll be Mount Boarding! &
Just to ensure that Everything is captured, We’ll also be focussing Our attention on the More latterly accepted Digital and Photographic Art Market, it’s players And their latest releases.
For promotional possibilities
Phone John Furlong or Paul Yeomans on 01442 289930 now!
September 2010 • Issue 4
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