The importance of Slow Manufacturing
The current industrial system is based on automated manufacturing plants which allow for fast, serial production. However, here at Midsummer we pride ourselves on being an authentic Italian company, and we value our expertise and know-how. We have decided to re-discover the value of tradition and craftwork, as we believe that slow manufacturing processes enhance the value proposition of a company like ours.
Craftsmanship in manufacturing does not merely concern the added value of the product as embedded in its quality and uniqueness. It also concerns the sustainability of the approach to manufacturing itself. Slow and sustainable manufacturing employs production methods and techniques that allow workers to express their skills and creativity, contributing to the improvement of the product and the competitiveness of the enterprise. With a sustainable approach, the workers become craftsmen who are able to give the product the added value that makes it unique and attractive in the eye of the customer, while avoiding frustration and boredom.
Furthermore, the enhancement of craftsmanship in manufacturing often involves technologies that are sustainable themselves. In turn, slow manufacturing allows to avoid the type of mass production that usually employs large amounts of raw materials, and contributes a large deal to waste and pollution. In this day and age, fast manufacturing is rarely a viable approach to production, as it is not able to strike a balance with global and local environmental needs.
Ethics is another significant issue of manufacturing industries. Company owners and managers must be aware of the needs and rights of their staff. The crafts approach, by enhancing the characteristics and skills of each worker, provides a better fit with ethical practices which contribute to employee satisfaction. In slow manufacturing, craftsmen are often carriers of a tradition that has been handed down for generations.
Therefore, crafts-industrial production is an interesting paradigm — one that allows for continuity of traditions and respect for the culture of manufacturing activities as they were originally developed, while at the same time embracing innovation in order to satisfy the emerging needs of the market.
Indeed, at Midsummer we deeply believe in the skills of our artisans. We don’t count the minutes it takes to produce a mattress, nor the hours — we only care that we are able to provide customers with the best possible quality of products. While foam mattresses are realized in a matter of minutes, it usually takes about two days of intense work by our artisans team to make a single, handmade mattress.
We care about time — the time over which a Midsummer product will comfort our dear customers, rather than the production time itself.