By James Khangenbam 25 March 2023 Imphal:
Born to a very skilled farmer who has left some fortune to the family Yambem Satya followed the path of his father in his mid-thirties and became a very successful entrepreneur who believes in aiming big and excelling in his carpentry works. Established in the year 1998 Yambem furniture house started picking up fame in the year 2004. The speciality of the furniture house was the touchwood paint which Satya himself worked on for three years and achieved excellence one fine evening in a closet.
For the successful implementation of works and marketing strategies Manipur Institute of Management Studies (MIMS), Manipur University awarded him entrepreneur of the year award in 2005. Cupboard, Chair, Table, Almirah, Sofa Set, Dining Table, TV Stand, Gas Box, Computer Table, Dressing Table, clothes Hanger, mirror stand and other items are made in his furniture house. The skilled carpenters in Yambem Furniture House make various designs according to the customer’s choice who usually orders at the time of their daughter’s marriage for Dowry. Satya engages dozens of skilled and unskilled Carpenters in his Carpentry house located at Kakching.
The availability of touchwood paints in the markets of Manipur was not utilised to the best couple of years back and he successfully aim for bringing out the best use of it in the earlier times. Those days in the hit and trial method Satya would work hard in his polish works. He surveyed the furniture market and targeted to improvise on polish for a shining finish product. He worked day and night to give a glittering shine on his wooden furniture. He usually work in a closet.
At times he would realise that he had not slept the night. The passion was strong and he learnt the art of polishing all by himself. His face would reflect in the wooden surface coated by touchwood paints as he continued polishing. He worked hard until he found his unique perfection. The wood type where he first attended perfect polish paint was Leihao grown abundantly in Manipur.
He called all his team to enter his closet and reveal his perfection. They gain lots of hopes and expectation for big sales. And for the next couple of years trucks line up to pick their products and the demand double tripled as they start selling out their finish goods. Mostly people from Imphal and other districts besides Thoubal buys their products and the furniture house gain popularity in Manipur. Besides polish Yambem Satya use to hunt for woods from Sanalokchao near Singda Dam those days.
He did all the polish and paint work for one or two years in the beginning and never reveal his secrets to others including his co-workers. He started training his employees when he realised that over working for long period might affect his health. His employees got to learn the art of fine polish.
The raw materials procured from different places for the furniture work ranges from Leihao, Teak, Khaewo, Tolhao, Kelli, Wang etc. One uniqueness of Yambem Furniture House is that they uses mechanise methods. Planers (20 inch wood planner), circular saw, ban saw, etc are some of the tools.
There are different works shed where different people are engage for different work. A group will work on the planner for smoothening the surfaces of the wood. Another team will work on the saw for cutting into pieces while the assemble group will fix up and the polish team will polish the product in different chamber. In the morning and evening a group of unskilled labour will carry the wood in appropriate work sheds.
Other furniture houses lured his employees with better promises and they started producing fine products with quality polish and paints. He is happy as the quality product is enhancing through his employees wherever they are working. However Satya yearns for imparting computer knowledge to his employees in his furniture house and learn the art of seasoning wood from China the neighbouring country.
