3d Kitchen celebrates 30 Years

Chris & Rose Adams began business in 1993 providing software solutions to the joinery industry. Now in their 30th year in business the 3D Kitchen software brand is going strong and still supporting cabinetmakers with solid solutions to compliment their businesses. Chris Adams, the mastermind and creator of 3d Kitchen software sat down with JOINERS Magazine to discuss all things business.

Q: What is the 3d Kitchen story? (Who started the company, developed the software, and how is the company structured). In 1993 we saw an opportunity in the market to supply software to the joinery industry. It was a big step in those days as this type of software was in its infancy and also at a time when cabinetmakers were very sceptical about computers and software in general. Our business has no employees. Instead we made the decision to allow sales agents to be completely independent. This business model has worked extremely well. It means that all of our sales agents own and control their sales territories. Rose and I have recently pulled out of the daily running of the business and have passed the control to our 2 eldest sons, Harley in New Zealand and Clutha in Melbourne.

Q: Walk us through some of the 3d Kitchen milestone moments achieved over those 30 years. Of course the major milestone right now is actually hitting the 30 year mark in this business. It's something that I definitely did not expect at the start. We started quietly in New Zealand at the beginning then branching out to Australia. Australia quite quickly became our most productive market and so sales agents were sought.

We have been very fortunate to secure fantastic sales representatives who are loyal and dedicated to extending our business. They are the reason for our success operating with integrity and consistency. More recently we have branched out further with agents in India, South Africa, Ireland and the UK, with other minor sales happening through our online presence.

Q: 3d Kitchen has a variety of software solutions to suit all cabinet making and design applications, can you take us through your product offering? Yes we have 3 categories of software to offer. Firstly Pro Design. This produces floor plans, elevations, 3D images with textures, colours, lighting and shading, and design documentation. It includes a custom built cabinet library to suit each client (so it is not a one size fits all product).

Secondly Pro Custom. This does everything that the Pro Design version does but also produces full job costing, cutting lists, hardware lists, labour calculations, edging details and material optimisation (printouts showing how to cut cabinet components for processing on a panel saw).

Thirdly Pro Toolpath. This does everything the other 2 versions do but also produces output to directly process to CNC machines. This takes data from the 3D design. So whatever is added or modified in design passes accurately to CNC.

Q: What sort of training and technical support is made available to customers when purchasing your software for the first time?

Training and technical support is provided for all versions and is included in the cost of the software. This is absolutely key to having clients who are competent and confident in running our software to their best advantage.

Q: Looking ahead, what plans have you got for the future of 3d Kitchen?

We never stop developing and moving our software ahead. So development is a constant process. We are in the process of shifting to a true CAD system. This is a significant shift from the current version and will apply a much higher level of design and design modification. This is the most exciting development we have undertaken and will provide some great advantages for our clients. It is due for release later this year