It can be glued as well as stitched together. Both sides of the panel are veneered to prevent distortion. It is put on to the panel with a water based thermal activated adhesive that dries in 1 min 5 seconds.
A CNC drills and bores the panel according to an AutoCAD drawing that follows the piece throughout the work floor. It generally takes 22 minutes to make a complete wall assembly on the assembly lines. .
The paint area is separate from the rest of the work floor. SMED uses a Powdercoat paint system for virtually all metal. This system involves no solvents and eliminates most off gassing. It minimizes waste by recapturing overspray and mixing it back in with the original material. However, from our tour, I can conclude that the fumes from the paint area are not properly controlled and managed, which could lead to inhalation and sickness. There is a rotating chain on the floor that pulls all panels on racks from station to station. Within the paint room there is a filtration system to get rid of dust, which is positive pressure within a room to keep out the dust. The pieces are continuously sanded and painted to receive the right finish. Smed designed most of the shades of stain it markets and uses.
After the piece is painted it reaches a finishing line of deodorizer and cleaner. After completion the piece generally goes through Quality control. Generally the laminates are allowed to dry and then the pieces are shipped out.
Quality control is divided into three levels at Smed, including assembly and production, to ensure that every piece of work is up to standards, and exactly what the client is expecting. The furniture is mostly assembled on site, except for the basic put together parts. Packaging is very minimal, just what is needed to protect. .
Smed is centered on having a system that designs pieces "just in time" for its orders. However, it is difficult to have a perfect system, and therefore there are still many racks of storage of different assemblies, in the case that a piece is not produced in time.