Visionary solutions for retail spaces

How Clan Innovations combines CNC prefabrication in its Leicestershire workshops with Button-fix technology to create store fixtures that are quickly and seamlessly assembled.

Nathan Keightley, owner of Clan Innovations, first encountered the Button-fix system eight years ago when it was specified on an architectural drawing. He has been using it ever since, because the smart connectors help make on-site installation fast and precise.

Almost everything created in its workshops uses state-of-the-art CNC machining capabilities to ensure accuracy, consistency and a perfect finish. The frames and pilot holes for button fasteners can be easily incorporated into the machined panels.

To realize the designers’ vision for the storefront displays, they detail the assembly of the furniture in two stages: first, an MDF base is assembled, on which electrical wiring and lighting can be installed, followed by a high-quality exterior cladding of high-grade materials such as composites, oak veneer or mirrored glass. Button assembly is often the invisible element that ties all the pieces together, allowing the furniture to be assembled and approved in Clan Innovations‘ workshops, disassembled for transport, and then reassembled on site, with a guaranteed perfect fit.

“We always detail the store equipment as if we were installing it ourselves on site,” Nathan explains. He adds, however, that they are currently focusing on larger projects, which are usually handled by other contractors. When we visited their workshop in Fleckney, near Leicester, his team was busy working on a total store interior for a well-known luxury cosmetics brand.

Many of the finishes chosen for this particular project are Staron® and HIMACS solid surface materials. All of these are attached to the MDF chassis using the Button-fix system, and can be removed as needed, such as to repair the electrical wiring of the backlit displays, or if they are damaged and need to be replaced. The Button-fix system is attached to the back surface of the solid surface panels using Resinserts®, an innovative threaded anchorage developed by Nathan’s longtime collaborator Dan Harding. The Type 1 Flush Fix systems are fully recessed into the MDF housing and together form a strong, reliable, invisible connection.

The Clan Innovations method clearly demonstrates the benefits of careful CAD detailing, precision manufacturing using CNC machines, off-site assembly and rapid on-site reassembly, and how products such as Button-fix make this possible.