Client-driven Software Innovation for Cabinet and Closet Makers
By Susan Spencer
Photography courtesy of Kurzhaus Design
KCD Software Sales Manager Ken Frye believes cabinet and closet makers know best what they need for their business. And as a software expert, he thinks technology should make life easier for people. “We talk to woodworkers all the time – about what works, what doesn’t, and how they wish it worked,” Frye says. This customer-centered approach has made KCD Software an essential tool for custom builders from Cape Cod, Massachusetts, where the company is based, to as far away as New Zealand and Asia.
KCD makes powerful, multi-tiered programs that let cabinet and closet makers create and instantly modify units in lifelike 3D renderings, develop pricing and cut lists directly from the designs, and link their designs seamlessly with CNC production. Founded by cabinetmaker John Murphy in 1983, KCD Software has received the Adex Award for woodworking design and the Sequoia Award for innovation and productivity in woodworking software.
Robert Cifelli, co-owner and V.P. of mill production at Kurzhaus Designs in Orleans, Massachusetts, finds he’s able to craft building solutions for the custom, high-end work he does (shown here) – and compete with box-store prices – using KCD’s Cabinet/Closet Workshop Version 9.050, a package that includes Designer with 3D photorealism, Design Professional to manage business details, and Builder, which produces precise cut lists based on his designs and construction methods. When he is ready to move to CNC, Bob likes that at any time he can add the CNC Linker or CNC Commander with One Button™ machining.
“It’s so integrated that all the challenges are met with that tool,” Cifelli says. “Every kitchen space is a challenge; I can manipulate a design with the software until it fits the space and meets the customer’s needs.”
It used to take Cifelli one-and-a-half weeks to draw a kitchen by hand and calculate all the measurements. “Now I can do it in a day – and it’s accurate,” he says, figuring this alone saves him $2,000 in labor costs. “KCD is the best software out there to make custom shops competitive.” Cifelli says KCD’s customer support is the best he’s seen in any industry. If he’s stuck on a project, the knowledgeable team at KCD talks him through it or shows him how with web conferencing.
Woodworkers want to spend their time creating cabinets and closets, so KCD Software is made to be fast and easy. Frye says, “People have success with it from Day One.” The intuitive program functions are easy to learn, and free technical support is readily available by phone or online.
The close relationships KCD builds with its customers leads to continuous innovations in product design. “It’s our mission to listen closely to our clients and help make their process easier,” says Frye. “It’s been our company’s objective from the get-go – if they succeed, then we succeed.”
