A good look inside Italo’s woodworking factory with the Friday morning coffee crowd – May 31, 2013
FRIDAY MORNING GANG
This group of Ahodwo Obrunis regularly get together on Friday morning for coffee and conversation. On the last week of May, Elvira (front row, wearing a black dress) arranged for a tour of her husband, Italo’s wood working plant. Jeanne, Sala, Nicole, Bob, Chrissie, Dani, Camille and Mano arrived eager to see raw logs being transformed into fine furniture.
MODERN WOOD TECHNOLOGY
Italo’s plant specializes in parquet flooring. The first time Bob and Camille set foot in Elvira and Italo’s home, they were amazed at the beautiful wood furniture and floors. They soon discovered the reason behind this and months later jumped at the chance to visit Italo’s factory.
IN BLACK AND WHITE
Our gracious hosts, Elvira and Italo looking fabulous as always. Their home is a welcome oasis of warm hospitality and Elvira’s legendary pizza and lasagna a necessary part of our diet.
And no, Italo does not have electrodes attached from his head to his plant. Although there surely must be times when he feels he does!
INNER SANCTUM
In we strode, past stacks of beautifully cured wood, table saws, busy employees and varying stages of furniture and flooring fabrication. The sawdust was flying as we wound our around stacks of the straightest lumber we’ve seen since moving to Kumasi.
MODULAR ASSETS
We were impressed at how orderly everything was. And by the magnitude of machinery employed to move it around. Raw logs contrasted nicely with the neatly stacked pallets of finished product. It was inspiring to see an organization capable of producing good product in a place where red tape and dysfunctional infrastructure can put a choke hold on the entrepreneurial spirit.
LUMBER YARD
MWT was much larger than we expected. We walked and walked past an impressive inventory of lumber.
CURING KILN
The difference between fine and not-so-fine furniture starts in the kiln, where lumber is properly dried out. We’ve bought some cheap roadside tables and chairs and learned that they will soon warp and/or hatch termites.
GIANT SAW
Elvira calls to us to witness the front end of Italo’s business. Sawdust flew as a giant saw sheared planks from a huge log.
FEEDING IT IN
A crane moves logs closer to the saw for processing.
THE BELLY OF THE BEAST
Here’s where the transformation begins as each log is pulled through the belly of the giant saw for processing.
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