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THE MANUFACTORY · A FOLIO
SHEET 01 / 09 SCALE 1:1 SARDARSHAHAR · IN
I Plate I · The Specimen

A workshop drawn to scale.

What follows is not a brochure. It is a folio — drawn from the floor of the Saraf manufactory in Sardarshahar — of the place where logs become furniture, in eight measured steps, under hands and under instruments.

50
,000 sqm
Manufacturing area
800
+ artisans
Master & assistant hands
8
 stations
Log to crate, in line
SMETA
 4-PILLAR
SEDEX audited
II Plate II · The Plant

Fifty thousand square metres,
laid out by hand.

The manufactory is organised as a single, linear narrative. Logs enter on the west; sealed crates leave on the east. Nothing crosses its own path. Every piece of furniture moves only forward.

  1. A
    Timber YardAir-stacked sheesham & mango
  2. B
    Kiln HallsThree chambers · 8% MC target
  3. C
    SawmillResaw · profile · dimension
  4. D
    JoinerySix benches · the heart of the shop
  5. E
    Sanding HallWide-belt + manual finishing
  6. F
    Spray & Hand-FinishDown-draft booths · oil & lacquer
  7. G
    QC Bay27-point inspection · per piece
  8. H
    Crating & LoadingHeat-treated pallets · ISPM-15
III Plate III · The Process

Eight stations,
one direction.

Every piece of Saraf furniture passes through the same eight stations, in the same order, with the same gates between them. The line is designed so a fault is caught — not carried.

  1. i.

    Timber Selection

    → Logs graded

    FSC-conscious sourcing. Logs are graded by species, sap, knots and grain.

    ≈ 2 days
  2. ii.

    Kiln Drying

    → 8% MC

    Three chambers, slow schedules, target 8% moisture content for export stability.

    10–14 days
  3. iii.

    Sawmill

    → Stock cut

    Resaw, dimension and profile. Component lists drive every cut; offcuts are logged and re-used.

    1–2 days
  4. iv.

    Joinery

    → Carcass dry-fit

    Mortise & tenon, dovetails, dowels — assembled, dry-fit, then glued under clamp.

    3–6 days
  5. v.

    Sanding

    → 240 grit

    Wide-belt to 120; manual through 180, 220, 240. Edges broken by hand.

    1–2 days
  6. vi.

    Finishing

    → Sealed & cured

    Down-draft spray for lacquers; hand-rubbed oil & wax for warm grains. 24h cure.

    2–3 days
  7. vii.

    Quality Check

    → 27-point gate

    Two inspectors, twenty-seven checkpoints. Fail any one and the piece returns upstream.

    ≈ 1 hour / piece
  8. viii.

    Crating

    → Container-ready

    ISPM-15 heat-treated pallets, edge protection, RH-stabilising desiccants for sea freight.

    ≈ 1 day
IV Plate IV · State of the Art

The instruments
that serve the hand.

Modernity, in our shop, has only one job: to free the artisan from drudgery so the artisan can spend longer on the work that matters. These are the principal instruments on the floor.

V Plate V · The Hand

The machine sets the tolerance.
The hand sets the standard.

Eight hundred and counting. Some have been at the bench for thirty years; some are new apprentices pulled from the first stool. Between them, they own the tolerances no caliper can read — the way a piece ought to feel under the palm.

  • 800 + Total artisans
  • 120 Masters 10+ years on bench
  • 14 years Average tenure
The plane teaches you to listen. If it sings, the piece is right.
— Master artisan, Joinery bench iv.
VI Plate VI · Capacity

What the line
can carry.

A working measure of the manufactory at full song. Lead times stretch for bespoke; volumes hold for catalogue lines. Both are honest.

Stated above are operating averages. Capacity is reserved per contract and confirmed at PO. Peak — Q3 — runs about 18% higher across all lines.

VII Plate VII · The Audit

Honesty,
independently verified.

Our manufacturing units are SEDEX members and submit to SMETA 4-Pillar audits — the independent ethical trade audit recognised by global retailers across Europe, the UK and North America.

SMETA examines four pillars: how we treat our people, how safely we run the floor, how we touch the environment around us, and how we keep our books. The findings are filed against our member ID; you can request a current report.

  1. i.

    Labour Standards

    Wages, hours, freedom of association, no forced or under-age work.

  2. ii.

    Health & Safety

    Floor PPE, machine guarding, fire drills, accident reporting.

  3. iii.

    Environment

    Dust extraction, finish-spray emissions, waste-wood recovery, water.

  4. iv.

    Business Ethics

    Anti-bribery, transparent records, traceable timber chain.

Alongside
  • FSC® chain-of-custody · selected lines
  • ISO 9001 · quality management
  • BSCI / amfori · participating
  • ISPM-15 · all wood packing
VIII Plate VIII · Discipline

Twenty-seven gates
between log and crate.

Quality is not an inspection at the end. It is a sequence of small, stubborn checkpoints distributed along the line. Every Saraf piece passes through these — recorded, signed, and stored.

  1. 01Species verifiedat log intake
  2. 02Moisture meterbefore sawmill
  3. 03Sap & knot gradeper board
  4. 04Kiln schedulesigned-off
  5. 05Final MC reading≤ 8% on exit
  6. 06Cut list matchcomponent vs. drawing
  7. 07Square / trueat every panel
  8. 08Joinery dry-fitbefore glue
  9. 09Glue line gauge≤ 0.1 mm gap
  10. 10Clamp pressureverified per joint
  11. 11Cure time loggedmin. hours kept
  12. 12Carcass squarediagonal < 1 mm
  13. 13Hardware fitdrawer / door action
  14. 14Belt-sand passflat to gauge
  15. 15Hand-sand finish240 grit, edges broken
  16. 16Surface witnessraking-light check
  17. 17Stain matchvs. master sample
  18. 18Booth conditionsRH & temp logged
  19. 19Coat thicknessper spec, dry film
  20. 20Cure completebefore handling
  21. 21Function testdoors · drawers · slides
  22. 22Dimension auditvs. drawing tolerance
  23. 23Cosmetic gatetwo-inspector sign-off
  24. 24Hardware torqueper fastener spec
  25. 25Pack & cushionedge / corner protection
  26. 26Crate certifiedISPM-15 stamp
  27. 27Shipping markorder · piece · seal
< 1.2% Field defect rate · trailing 12 months
100% Pieces with traceable order & piece code
Plate IX · A Trial Order

See the line
before you sign the line.

Specifiers, buyers and project teams are welcome to walk the floor — or begin with a sample piece, drawn from your spec, run through every station of the manufactory, and shipped before contract.

Address
Plot No. 4,5,6,7,8,9 RIICO Industrial Area,
Sardarshahar – 331 403,
Rajasthan, India