Katzkin, the US-based custom interiors manufacturer, has partnered with Lectra to optimize processes, eliminate production bottlenecks and double throughput to meet the growing demand. Katzkin offers interiors to more than 3,000 different vehicle applications and every interior consists of more than 200 parts which can be ordered in more than 140 different colours resulting in millions of permutations and combinations of interiors.
The complexities grew exponentially as the demand surged and the manufacturer employed manual cutters and labour to meet the demand. Consequently, the company deployed Lectra’s solutions to increase productivity, improve material use and control costs, while still being flexible enough to handle the growing demand from an expanding market, without compromising on lead time. The company has now installed Lectra’s product development software to optimize its patterns through design-to-manufacture pattern-making principles. The company has also installed six VectorAuto iX9s for automated fabric cutting and two VersalisAuto for leather. The subsequent investment enables the company to cut intricate shapes, ensuring high-quality pieces, reducing waste and optimizing production still further. Katzkin has achieved an operating efficiency of 70 per cent and doubled the hides cut per hour using fewer machines. “The thing I love about Versalis is the speed with which it cuts, the efficiency, the precision and the nesting technology that it uses to maximize our yield,” tells Brooks Mayberry, CEO, Katzkin.
