Many of today’s companies started modestly with few resources, in a bedroom or a garage, as is the case with Apple, Google or Disney. In general, behind all brands that last—whether they belong to a multinational, medium-sized or small company—, there is always an entrepreneur with a different idea and a strong commitment to carry it out, and above all, a lot of tenacity and hard work. Our entrepreneur was Juan José Astigarraga. He has always been committed to sustainable manufacturing and local wood.
37 years of experience behind us
In 1985, in a humble workshop, he came up with this brilliant idea: making wooden trestles. Those simple sawhorses used to support a board. Over the years, the catalogue has grown and diversified into other solid pine furniture and storage products. No unique idea is worth anything without manufacturing management and effective control of the production processes that are involved with any concept or project.
We won’t go into too much detail because we will have the opportunity to explore the links that make up the manufacturing chain in other posts, but today we want you to know about the linear order of these phases that intertwine to enable Astigarraga Kit Line to now offer 130 different products in its catalogue, and we’ll also explain how shelves or bottle racks end up in homes, offices or businesses. Here, we take care of every detail during the entire manufacturing process so that, on the one hand, our products are of high quality and, on the other hand, the results are economically and environmentally positive. Our history is based on a clear commitment to the environment and to sustainability.
Local wood is what makes us stand out
Four highly trusted teams extract the wood from the forests near our company, forests that are chosen by Jose Juan Astigarraga, the director of the company’s forestry division. The same mountains that are our hallmark. Because we like to value our strategic commitment to use local Insignis or Radiata pine wood. Pruning is very selective: for every tree we cut down, we plant another. Reforestation is key to keeping our forests alive; and this philosophy is not just mere words, it is the calling card of Astigarraga Kit Line.
How are our products manufactured?
The wood is processed at our sawmill in the Nuarbe district of Azpeitia. Here the logs are converted into uniform boards. Before the manufacturing process, the wood—which can contain up to 60% humidity—is left to dry in the open air for three months. This natural drying or airing reduces the humidity of the wood to 20%, then a drying machine reduces it to 15%. The energy used in this industrial drying process comes from the burning of biomass. But let’s do everything in order.
We then transport the boards to the two trestle and furniture production halls to be turned into natural solid wood furniture and storage products.
Biomass feedstock
The wood is processed in these plants: it is cut to the size and thickness required for the furniture to be manufactured. The cutting and optimising machine cuts to exact measurements, leaving everything ready for assembly. We often say with food that we use an entire animal “nose to tail”; well the same applies to wood. Everything is used: wood chips, sawdust and bark.
The energy for industrial drying, mentioned above, comes from the burning of biomass obtained from all this surplus material. In this way, we avoid generating waste and are committed to a circular economy model.
All this careful treatment of our wood has earned us two quality certifications that guarantee the care of our forests: the PEFC certificate and the Ecolabel, awarded by the European Union. The pieces needed to assemble the furniture are then packaged with cardboard and 50% recycled plastic. They are now ready for distribution in several European countries, including France, Germany and Italy.
Digitalisation of the entire manufacturing process
This enables us to close the entire cycle of the extraction, sawmill, drying and manufacturing chain to provide a local, simple, versatile, sustainable and competitive product. Time forces companies to keep moving and to adapt, reinventing themselves and embracing change. Astigarraga kit Line has a challenge ahead and that is to digitalise this entire manufacturing process, from the log to the final product.
And if you have any further queries, or if you are a distributor and you want to know more about us, you can contact us here (internal link). We conceive, design and manufacture furniture and organisation products from locally certified wood. The fact that all production is carried out in our company allows us to be close to and in control of the manufacturing processes at all times. We will always be committed to being environmentally friendly.
