CASE STUDY:
About New Ravenna
Sara Baldwin founded New Ravenna in Exmore, VA, in 1992. The mission then is the same today: “New Ravenna endeavors to make residences and commercial buildings feel beautiful, renewed, and connected through a unique, exciting, and transformative design experience.”
From this idyllic location on Virginia’s Eastern Shore, over 115 artisans design and skillfully craft handmade mosaics that include borders, murals, field tiles, and medallions. The resulting products reflect the heritage of Roman technique and tools, augmented by technology.
Their artisans utilize small wet saws, gang saws, and nippers for many steps. However, today, they also use water jet cutting systems to produce mosaics featuring the most intricate curves, lettering, and other details that are impossible to achieve by hand.
So, to those who might see using waterjets as a step back from handmade, consider the fact that the Romans were renowned for using or creating state-of-the-art tools and techniques for their time. We are following their example of blending technology and artistry.
The Role of the Waterjet
Even when the CAD designs are loaded into the waterjets and the cutting program begins, an employee is present, carefully monitoring progress and edge finish, always alert to stop the cut if it does not meet New Ravenna standards. In the hands of New Ravenna artisans, the waterjet technology supports and highlights their artistry without replacing craftsmanship.
New Ravenna purchased its first Jet Edge Waterjet System in 2006. In a testament to the robust nature of Jet Edge products and the preventive maintenance (PM) steps both by onsite staff and Jet Edge service technicians, that original machine is still in use. Today, the company owns water jets from three different manufacturers, operating as follows:
- Six total cutting tables, each with 4 cutting heads.
- Garnet is recovered and water recycled for efficiency, cost savings, and environmental stewardship.
- Operations take place in a demanding environment of 80°F and 80% RH, grueling and punishing for the tools and ancillary systems.
- Dual tray configurations are a newer innovation that allows materials to be prepared on one tray while cutting takes place on the other. This technique supports continuous cutting, increasing throughput significantly
World-Class Mosaics, Handmade Entirely in the United States.
What goes into the crafting of such widely acclaimed mosaics? New Ravenna’s operations combine handcrafting and high-tech. From the receipt of raw materials, a New Ravenna employee is always in charge, even when stock is being cut on one of their six waterjet cutting systems.
Unless a customer provides stock material of a different thickness, every New Ravenna mosaic is produced from material 3/8” thick. The designers create the pattern for the product, and then the artisans go to work, preparing the stock for the waterjet using tools that would be familiar to the Romans, including small hand saws, nippers, and gang saws.
Why Jet Edge at New Ravenna?
For more than 20 years, Jet Edge Waterjet Systems have been the backbone of New Ravenna’s cutting fleet. This enduring partnership reflects a shared commitment to precision, reliability, and performance. But what makes this relationship so strong after two decades?
The answer became clear when New Ravenna explored other options. They added systems from two different manufacturers, expecting similar results, but quickly discovered the difference. Those alternatives lacked the capabilities, support, and durability required for their demanding applications. That experience reinforced what they already knew: Jet Edge delivers where others fall short. It is why New Ravenna returned to Jet Edge and continues to trust them today.
Product Reliability
New Ravenna relies on its water jets to be operational at all times. When a machine goes down, the impact ripples throughout the entire factory and hits productivity, ROI, and other key performance metrics hard. Reliability is just one area where Jet Edge systems excel. As New Ravenna’s operations manager says, “They are production workhorses like a Ford 150: if you take care of them, they ‘ll run forever.”
Another way the reliability of the Jet Edge systems excel is in the robust way the ancillary items are incorporated. Abrasive removal and closed-loop filtration systems allow efficiency and effectiveness. The way Jet Edge waterjet systems handle these functions without issue, comes as a contrast to the issues other brands suffer from, like garnet and debris accumulation that requires more maintenance and downtime.
Some suppliers’ machines are too simple, and don’t have enough capability to support real customer needs, leading to wasted time and frustration. Other products err on the side of being too complex by incorporating “bells and whistles” that don’t add value in real usage, and unfortunately, complexity like this often makes maintenance and troubleshooting difficult, especially in demanding applications like New Ravenna.
Jet Edge dependability is the result of advanced engineering designs and is built solidly enough to keep running in New Ravenna’s harsh production conditions. Complimenting this robust foundation is the fact that “Jet Edge products are only as complicated as they need to be.”
With a Jet Edge water jet, you get full capability without complexity. That doesn’t mean a Jet Edge tool is unsophisticated. New Ravenna’s latest Jet Edge addition perfectly aligns with the company’s requirements. It features advanced diagnostics that alert operators to PM tasks and potential issues before they occur, thereby maximizing uptime, without presenting a complex and confusing user interface or operating procedure.
Business Impact for New Ravenna
Handcrafting the world’s finest mosaics is a challenging business that relies on processes and equipment that run smoothly with minimal issues or unexpected work stoppages. Here are some of the key contributions Jet Edge water jets make to New Ravenna’s mission:
- The unique dual tray system significantly increases capacity and throughput.
- Four-head configurations allow higher yields in shorter times and increase operational efficiency.
- Exceptional reliability equates to less downtime, and every department (sales, support, assembly) benefits.
- Jet Edge’s uptime enables New Ravenna to maintain its own high bar for customer service.
Unrivaled, Personal Service & Support
New Ravenna states that the Jet Edge technical support team is the most knowledgeable in the industry. Not only do they understand the Jet Edge systems inside and out, but they also have a deep understanding of how New Ravenna uses their products. With other brands, New Ravenna is a one-of-a-kind use case, making it difficult for tech support to provide the best solution the first time.
Jet Edge tech support responds immediately and confidently, thanks to its in-depth knowledge and understanding of the New Ravenna process, providing fixes that work the first time, rather than running through a checklist of things to try.
Going further, New Ravenna enjoys a first-name basis relationship with Jet Edge employees throughout the organization. They can count on always receiving a quick, knowledgeable response, whether it’s a service request, technical support need, parts replacement, or more.
The bottom line is simple: Jet Edge water jets stay up and running, which enables New Ravenna to keep its customer promises.
U.S. Made for U.S. Made – a Fit with Brand Identity
When your ethos involves handcrafting your entire product line in America, it makes sense to purchase from a company like Jet Edge that is also dedicated to Made in America.
Let Jet Edge Create a New Ravenna Experience for Your Company
If your water jet cutting operations can benefit from increased reliability, exceptional cut quality, and advanced capabilities without unnecessary complexity, contact the Jet Edge team today and let us show you why New Ravenna has trusted us for over 20 years.