Case Study: Furnace Record Pressing achieves real-time quality control and scalable, faster vinyl production with Claris

Using custom apps to modernize and scale a retro industry

Furnace Records, founded in 1996, is a high-quality vinyl pressing company facing the challenge of scaling production while working with decades-old mechanical processes. Operators had to monitor presses manually and could not capture critical variables (temperature, humidity, vacuum, etc.), making quality control reactive and reproduction of optimal press settings difficult as demand surged.

Working with FullCity Consulting, Furnace implemented a custom Claris FileMaker app that brings IoT sensor data to the cloud and to operators’ iPads/iPhones for real-time monitoring, alerts, and visual troubleshooting. The system standardized quality control, cut roughly 20–30 pressing cycles per day per job, sped defect resolution, reduced operator stress, and supported Furnace’s expansion to a 50,000 sq ft facility with capacity near 10 million records a year and plans to reach 12–15 million.

Furnace Record Pressing

Eric Astor

Founder and Chief Executive Officer