Stiles Machinery held the last of its 2015 Manufacturing Solutions Seminars in November, drawing a crowd of more than 200 to its showroom in High Point, N.C. The two-day event combined classroom presentations with machinery demonstrations to help cabinet manufacturers of all sizes in understanding new ways to improve their competitiveness and profitability.

“Our most recent event in particular has really turned out to be a winner. It’s apparent that the industry out there is really interested exploring new technology. They turned up in droves,” Stiles vice president of marketing Steve Waltman said.

On the first day, Stiles showcased four work cells highlighting new panel-processing technology for European furniture construction for improving cut, band and bore-manufacturing processes. Participating attendees were introduced to a number of production processes from high-volume and high-production lines, to more compact work cells for shorter custom runs, to those looking for a highly flexible manufacturing cell.

The next day, guests were exposed to new trending manufacturing practices focused on solid wood doors and other face-frame construction methods, including five-piece door work cells, sanding and finishing demonstrations, according to Waltman.

“Those in attendance were looking for in-depth answers and hands-on demonstrations to questions that mean something to them, versus marketing speak. This is the real deal. These machines are set up in real-world experiences, something that we can’t do at trade shows. We had 50 machines set up and running with 40 experts on staff for the two days. The guests could run projects that resemble their solutions.

Because the events are gaining so much momentum, Waltman says Stiles is planning to add a fourth date in 2016.

The next Manufacturing Solutions Seminar is scheduled for Feb. 24-25. Registration will open in January.

For information, visit www.stilesmachinery.com.

This article originally appeared in the January 2016 issue.