Overview
Aaltensche Courant, 7 November 1947:
Opening of the Luimes & Wiggers factory buildings in Aalten
It was not only the fine autumn weather that caused unusual bustle on Wednesday afternoon, Thanksgiving Day, along the normally quiet road to Dinxperlo. Many cars, pedestrians and countless cyclists had taken advantage of the opportunity offered by Luimes & Wiggers to inspect their new furniture factory on Derde Broekdijk. Although the factory had already been put into use and the opening itself had taken place without much publicity, there was clearly widespread public interest in this still young Aalten industry. It was therefore a good idea for the owners to open the factory to visitors on a day when many local businesses and shops were closed, an opportunity we too were pleased to take.
Messrs Luimes and Wiggers began manufacturing furniture jointly in 1940. From the outset they adopted the principle of series production: making a particular type of furniture in large numbers and carrying out as much of the work as possible by machine. For this purpose they rented the former Koelman Garage on the corner of Bocholtsestraat and Bodendijk. The premises soon proved too small for the rapidly expanding business, so another location had to be found. This was provided by one of the buildings of the former comb factory of Mr Ten Dam on Damstraat. There was ample space there for the company to develop and for several new departments to be introduced, including plywood production, veneering and spray finishing.
Because the factory was somewhat out of the way, work could continue during the war years without too much scrutiny from the occupying forces. This also made it possible to provide work, and therefore a livelihood, for people in hiding. Several of them remained loyal to the firm after liberation and were still working there at the time of the article. In this way, even during the most difficult years, the company managed to keep supplying furniture on a limited scale, helping many victims of the war to obtain at least some furnishings again.
The company continued to grow and by then employed around thirty people. As a result, the premises on Damstraat once again became too small. Storage and spray-finishing space was inadequate, while the furniture makers’ actual working area was so crowded that no additional machinery could be installed.
There was therefore every reason to seek or build larger premises, but for some time plans remained only plans, partly because of the high costs and numerous obstacles involved in construction. The sale of the entire former comb-factory complex to Mr Van Katwijk finally made another solution unavoidable, as the furniture factory would eventually have to vacate the site. A suitable location for a new factory was found on the industrial estate at Derde Broekdijk. Architect Hebly drew up the plans, construction of the first hall began in the autumn of 1946, and just over a year later the whole scheme had been completed and the factory was operating at full capacity.
The factory is approached across an open forecourt, enclosed at the front by a wall bearing the company name in decorative lettering. On the left is the timber shed, where incoming wood is seasoned by the wind blowing freely through it. On the right is the large hall containing furniture storage, the spray-finishing department, veneering department and showroom, while directly ahead is the main production building with machinery and assembly departments. The office is tucked rather inconspicuously between the two large spaces. We were told that this was only a temporary solution and that, if the owners’ plans were realised, a permanent office building would eventually be erected in front of the factory.
On entering the factory, one is immediately struck by the excellent natural light entering through the large steel windows. Every machine and workbench receives ample daylight, despite the absence of the saw-tooth roof construction commonly used in factories. Long rows of electric lights with attractive matching fittings provide effective illumination during the darker months. The milling, sawing, planing, drilling and sanding machines, surface planer, thicknesser, grinders and other machinery are neatly arranged in orderly rows without sacrificing practical workflow. Every machine is driven by its own motor, hidden together with the drive belts behind protective casings. This arrangement is also important for safety, to which much attention has been paid. In the assembly department too, where furniture makers glue together bedsteads, tables, cupboards, chairs and other pieces, the workbenches are laid out symmetrically, creating a well-organised space.
Architecturally, the building housing these departments is particularly attractive when seen from inside because the concrete roof trusses form a single structure with the roof and leave the space entirely unobstructed. Because neither timber nor steel beams were available for the roof structure, this solution had been adopted out of necessity, yet it ultimately produced a much more handsome result. Architect Wm. Hebly of Aalten and Mr Post of Lichtenvoorde, who carried out the concrete work, certainly deserved praise.
The other hall, built according to the older principle with a timber roof structure, is less striking but still forms an attractive whole. It houses the spray-finishing department, where furniture receives clear lacquer, old-finish colouring and similar treatments, with a large extractor fan removing unpleasant and unhealthy fumes. The veneering department is also located here. Fine woods are glued in thin sheets under presses onto furniture board, and the room also serves as a store for many types of veneer, from ordinary oak to the finest exotic species, stacked like sheets of costly paper. Selecting and joining the pieces of veneer into the decorative patterns seen on cupboard doors, bedsteads and other furniture requires extensive knowledge of materials and solid craftsmanship.
The central section is used to store furniture, with chairs and bedside cabinets stacked almost to the ceiling and bedsteads and other items waiting in components, grouped by type, for the spray finish that will give them their final touch. The front part of the building, arranged as a showroom, proved especially attractive to the female visitors. Several complete bedroom suites were displayed there as examples of the firm’s capabilities. Suites in oak, mahogany and the tropical wood ‘davoré’ attracted much attention because of their fine designs and excellent workmanship. Seating areas had also been created where visitors could rest after their tour and be served tea, cakes and wine by industrious young attendants.
The many congratulations received by Messrs Luimes and Wiggers were often accompanied by flowers, so that the factory building was almost transformed into a flower garden. We too congratulate both gentlemen on acquiring such a fine factory. If they continue with the same energy and drive, they may well face a shortage of space again in future — and we wish them every success in doing so.