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SOLID WOOD CASKET MANUFACTURING

The construction of each casket is set in motion in the whitewood process. The key operations in whitewood include moulding, cutting, radio frequency gluing, fabrication and assembly processes.

The assembly of the casket is broken down into three key subcomponents — cover, rim and shell — that make up the full assembly of a casket. The cover, rim and shell production cells are synchronized so that each casket’s components flow to the assembly station in the appropriate sequence based on product scheduling requirements, Oakley explains.

Batesville manufactures solid wood products in nine different species of lumber. It owns and operates its own drying and rough mill facility in Vicksburg, Miss.

The Panola plant is strategically broken down into four production cells defined by product family and product design.

Line One, referred to as Main Line Production, produces the majority of the plant’s products — all standard solid wood products, in all of the species it carries. Three hundred employees staff this line; and while Batesville does not publicly release the number of caskets produced on this line per day, one can assume the volume of production is impressive.

Line Two, a smaller production cell, produces low-gloss satin finish cremation products in cottonwood and pine.

On Line Three, Batesville manufactures all wood construction caskets for the Jewish Orthodox customers. To meet Kosher Certification requirements, all wood construction products do not contain metal parts; use of animal byproducts (e.g., glues) in the manufacturing process is prohibited; and caskets are not constructed on the Jewish Sabbath. These products are completely dowel constructed using kosher glue fastening methods.

Batesville’s high-end mahogany Marcellus® product line is manufactured on the fourth line. These custom caskets are hand-constructed by highly skilled master craftsmen. The choice of many celebrities and politicians, four U.S. Presidents — John F. Kennedy, Ronald Reagan, Gerald Ford and Richard Nixon — were laid to rest in Marsellus caskets.

Batesville’s Panola plant has two levels of finishing for wood caskets. One involves products that flow through the “main line.” This is a state-of-the-art system that stains, seals, tones, sands and lacquers the majority of Batesville’s solid wood caskets.

The finishing process involves four steps: stain application, sealer application, lacquer application and hand polishing. Within this process, there are options of 15 stain colors and two sheens of topcoat lacquer. The final step is the option of hand-polishing the casket to a high luster gloss.

“Our mainline process has one large finish system, and our line two has a smaller cell individualized finishing system for single topcoat products,” Oakley explains. “Our primary finish system is designed for a multitude of finishing sequences depending on what is called for.”

The second line, where Marsellus products are finished, uses a hands-on finishing process involving individuals hand-rubbing and sanding the casket at multiple steps in the operation. Multiple coats of lacquer are used for a very deep finish, and the process is very labor intensive. Marsellus caskets are considered “ultra-rubbed” because every exposed wood surface is polished by hand.

Complex manufacturing processes, like precision moulding and complex angled cuts, and moisture control are an ongoing challenge in Batesville’s day-to-day operations.

The company utilizes critical process controls for each component to ensure precise alignment during the gluing and assembly phase, Oakley says.

“In order to avoid potential disruptions, we monitor these processes on a daily basis utilizing tools such as Statistical Process Control (SPC), first piece approval and standard work audits,” he says. “Additionally, Total Productive Maintenance (TPM) is utilized to manage the predictability of our critical process equipment.”

Moisture control of the lumber is dealt with in two ways: through daily moisture checks and compliance of incoming material; and with the application of sealers on critical contiguous surfaces of the casket.

Once the shell of the casket is complete, the interior is installed. Batesville cuts, sews and installs interiors in a multitude of colors, fabric types and with various customization features. Different shirring techniques and embroidery options give each casket a unique appearance.

After packing, caskets are directly loaded onto Batesville trailers for shipment to one of six regional distribution centers located throughout North America, where they are reloaded onto Batesville trucks and delivered to customer service centers, and ultimately delivered to licensed funeral homes.

“One of our greatest challenges is how to make an excellent product even better,” says Oakley. “Using proven continuous improvement techniques and processes, we continually examine and re-examine what we do and every possible way we can do it better.”