Wood Shop News WSN_03.11_Advertorial : Page 2
SPECIAL MARKETING SECTION SPECIAL MARKETING SECTION This integrated package, created for wood-workers by woodworkers, saves money in sev-eral different ways. It cuts down on the time spent in design consultations, because a pic-ture really is worth a thousand words. It helps close sales because customers not only see what the shop has in mind, but they see it in realistic, high-quality images. They even know what it will cost, because the program has added up the numbers so the shop owner or project manager doesn’t have to stay late (or give up another Saturday!) to do estimates. And the cut list module not only saves time by creating cut lists, but it also saves material by creating efficient ones. The magic ingredient here is that KCD truly understands that cabinetmakers and closet-Maximize Your Design/Build Time When the big box stores first entered the cab-inet business in force, one key to their early success was that they could show the home-owner a rudimentary image of what their new dream kitchen might look like. Since its incep-tion in 1983, Cape Cod’s KCD Software has taken that concept to the next level. Founded by a cabinetmaker (John Murphy), their pro-gram has evolved into a comprehensive pack-age that always remembers who is making the sawdust. It begins with realistic 3-D images (in a module called Designer) that truly feel like a photographer has visited the future. Then it takes care of business details in its Pricer mod-ule, so that the cabinetmaker can get out of the office and back to the shop as quickly as possi-ble. And when he gets there, KCD’s Builder module has already beaten him to the work-bench by generating precise cut lists based on his own designs and construction methods. 40 WWW.WOODSHOPNEWS.COM MARCH 2011
Maximize Your Design/Build Time
When the big box stores first entered the cabinet business in force, one key to their early success was that they could show the homeowner a rudimentary image of what their new dream kitchen might look like. Since its inception in 1983, Cape Cod’s KCD Software has taken that concept to the next level. Founded by a cabinetmaker (John Murphy), their program has evolved into a comprehensive package that always remembers who is making the Sawdust. It begins with realistic 3-D images (in a module called Designer) that truly feel like a photographer has visited the future. Then it takes care of business details in its Pricer module, so that the cabinetmaker can get out of the office and back to the shop as quickly as possible. And when he gets there, KCD’s Builder module has already beaten him to the workbench by generating precise cut lists based on his own designs and construction methods.<br /> <br /> This integrated package, created for woodworkers by woodworkers, saves money in several different ways. It cuts down on the time spent in design consultations, because a picture really is worth a thousand words. It helps close sales because customers not only see what the shop has in mind, but they see it in realistic, high-quality images. They even know what it will cost, because the program has added up the numbers so the shop owner or project manager doesn’t have to stay late (or give up another Saturday!) To do estimates. And the cut list module not only saves time by creating cut lists, but it also saves material by creating efficient ones.<br /> <br /> The magic ingredient here is that KCD truly understands that cabinetmakers and closet-Makers know better than anyone else what is needed to maximize a workshop’s potential. So, they ask their customers for input. And then they listen. Sales manager Ken Frye epitomizes that attitude.<br /> <br /> “Technology should make life easier for people,” he says. “We talk to woodworkers all the time about what works, what doesn’t, and even how they wish it worked.” This customer- centered approach has made KCD Software An essential tool for custom builders from Cape Cod, Mass. (where the company is based) to as far away as New Zealand and Asia. The software has received both the Adex Award for woodworking design and the Sequoia Award for innovation and productivity in woodworking software.<br /> <br /> The company matches it customer knowledge with superior service. If a kitchen designer gets stuck on a project, the team at KCD talks him through it on the phone or through Web conferencing.<br /> <br /> “KCD Software is made to be fast and easy,” Frye says. “People have success with it from day one. It’s intuitive, and easy to learn.”<br /> <br /> Robert Cifelli, co-owner and vice president.of mill production at Kurzhaus Designs in Orleans, Mass., agrees. He uses Version 9. 050 in the custom, high-end work he does. It allows him to compete with the big box stores, and explain the differences in a way that makes sense to his customers. It saves time from the sales floor through the office to the shop floor, and he’s already looking forward to the next big step there. As soon as Kurzhaus Designs is ready to move to CNC, Cifellican add the CNC Linker or CNC Commander with One Button™ machining.<br /> <br /> “KCD is the best software out there to make custom shops competitive,” he says. “Every kitchen space is a challenge, but I can manipulate a design with this software until it fits the space and meets the customer’s needs. It used to take me a week and a half to draw a kitchen by hand and calculate all the measurements. Now I can do it in a day – and it’s accurate!” The time saved in drawing alone adds $2,000 to his bottom line, which is a whole lot of pennies saved. And earned.