Interscapes Architectural Woodwork | Made With Biesse Amérique du Nord

Ron Lyrek is a big believer in being an early adopter of new equipment, software and technology. But it’s also the people component of his company that has made Interscapes Architectural Woodworking an enduring success. Fortunately for everyone involved, people and technology go hand-in-hand.

Four years ago, Lyrek and his wife purchased a 36,000 square-foot building to accommodate the growth of their 32-year-old company. They went to the Biesse Group Campus in Charlotte, N.C. with a goal of replacing their 12-year-old router purchased from another company. Since Interscapes does 90 percent tenant improvement, with 75 percent of jobs requiring a 6-8 week turn, production speed is crucial.

“While we were in Charlotte looking for a router, we saw a Winstore robotic sheet stock storage system in action,” Lyrek said. “It was incredibly cool and fun to watch, but I thought it was a gimmick I would have no use for. I was astounded to learn that it could increase our throughput and almost double the production of our CNC routers. When we realized that we were averaging 4-6 sheets, and we could average 8-11 sheets, it became a no-brainer. Winstore would increase our productivity, help us grow without constraints, save labor, and offer a fast payback. I knew I absolutely had to have it.”

To process solid wood, sheet stock and polymer for cabinets, reception desks and other pieces, Interscapes uses a 2014 Biesse BG 5x12 flat table router and a Biesse Rover A router integrated into the Winstore. “Having the high-speed option and an option for labeling and storing bigger remnants for easy location later has been a big plus,” Lyrek said. “Our Roxyl 5.5 Edgebander has also been phenomenal. The integration was another big part of what I liked about Biesse. Eurosoft was the integrator between Microvellum, Tradesoft and BiesseWorks. Just like we were promised, the installation and software integration worked well.”

Interscapes Architectural Woodwork: Photo 1

Lyrek’s relationship with Biesse has paid off with $6.75 million in sales last year. In addition to increasing productivity with dramatic throughput, Winstore has eliminated damage, removed sheet size limitations, added a huge safety advantage, and brought unexpected excitement to the company. “It has really given employees hope along with a tremendous sense of pride in where they work,” he said. “It’s also been instrumental in hiring. When people come to interview with us, they can see immediately how our amazing our shop looks and performs compared to others. It’s truly a defining moment in their lives that sets a new bar.”

After a total revamp of their facility to accommodate their new Winstore, Interscapes is set up to double their sales within as few as 5 years without having to add a third router. On a personal level, Lyrek, who was always a self-proclaimed workaholic, says he has a new life. “Over the last two years, I have only had to work 8 hours a day, 4 days a week because my management team can run and manage the company. People have always been key to our success. The first guy I ever hired just celebrated his 30th Anniversary with us. My main job now is to help our great team of people do their jobs better and serve our employees and customers better.”

I created an item-by-item spreadsheet comparing specs between the Biesse router and what the competitor had to offer. Biesse clearly came out on top. When my production manager toured the other company’s facilities, he was underwhelmed by what he saw. I even toured the Biesse factory in Italy and was very impressed.

Ron Lyrek President of Interscapes, Inc

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Winstore set to almost double the productions of CNC routers