Zünd cutting solutions and workflow automation have enabled American Leather to maintain exceptionally high quality standards and perform well above industry norms in meeting an ever-growing demand for customization and fast turnaround times.

In pursuit of fast production

American Leather, US custom-furniture manufacturer based in Dallas, Texas, was founded 32 years ago by an engineer who saw an opportunity to improve lead times in the furniture industry. At the time, the main supplier of leather furniture to the U.S. was an Italian manufacturer with standard lead times of 16-22 weeks. In contrast, American Leather sought to build furniture domestically and deliver much faster – in 4 weeks or less! At present, the company employs about 700 people and produces around 400 pieces of furniture daily, with no finished goods kept in inventory. In keeping with an on-demand, mass-customization model, every piece is custom-made for individual consumers or stores.

Controlling your own destiny

American Leather prides itself on having complete control over the various aspects of their production through vertical integration. It means “controlling our own destiny”, as Veronica Schnitzius, American Leather’s president, likes to put it. Having in-house capabilities, from frames to foam and upholstery, helps speed up production times tremendously. In the 350,000 square feet of their facilities, wherever there’s a need for cutting, Zünd plays a role in efficiency and workflow automation. Explains Schnitzius: “The ability to nest, cut, and sew everything in one building enables us to do things faster than many of our competitors. Our production process, from release of the order to shipping, is 3.5 days; for most companies I know of in the United States, it’s usually 10 days.”

A partnership in precision, quality, and efficiency

A major challenge for American Leather has been finding equipment that fits their unique production processes. From the early days, when they first purchased Zünd cutters some 30 years ago, they have preferred equipment that can be tailored to suit their needs rather than modifying their way of doing things to accommodate standard solutions. This makes Zünd a perfect fit, with cutting systems that are modular, multi-functional, and easy to integrate and adapt to existing production workflows. Swiss engineering combined with application-specific hardware and software solutions ensure all components are cut and subsequently sewn with precision, which is key to American Leather’s high-quality, tailored furniture design. Another important benefit is flexibility. In a market so dependent on fashion trends and fluctuations in customer demand, the ability to pivot quickly is critical. “We have customers that are opening a store and change their mind the day before store opening,” marvels Schnitzius and adds, “we have done pieces of furniture in less than 8 hours. If we didn’t have equipment like Zünd in house, we wouldn’t have been able to do that.”

Precision-manufacturing in Switzerland, quality support in the US

Swiss engineering precision and quality standards, and the resulting reliability of Zünd cutters, are something else Schnitzius values greatly. Without that Swiss precision, “the sewing is not right, the upholstery is not right, and then we don’t have the right product”, says Schnitzius. She has never worried much about one of their Zünd cutters not running properly; instead she has the peace of mind that comes from knowing “the equipment is reliable, we have spare parts, we have technicians, we have great service. And all that in the United States, which is a huge thing.”

“We believe in Zünd”

Since purchasing their original Zünd cutters three decades ago, American has added several Zünd LC leather-cutting systems and multiple G3s – among them a Zünd G3 2Xl-3200 with offline hide-capture capabilities – in their leather-, fabric-, and wood-working/frame departments. Having worked closely with Zünd and Zünd software partner Mind, Schnitzius appreciates the responsiveness she has encountered from everyone involved in tailoring the technology to American Leather’s specific needs. Because of that, Zünd is now the company’s exclusive partner in leather and fabric cutting. Schnitzius concludes: “We believe in Zünd. We continue to invest in Zünd and would recommend Zünd to other companies. When you look at longevity, service, time and money, I believe it’s a great investment!”