During the floods of late December 2013, Howarth Windows, based in New Holland, North Lincolnshire, had a major set-back to its production operation when the River Humber burst its banks causing severe flooding in the nearby Howarth Windows factory.
The flooding was so severe that almost all of the machinery in the factory was under 1m of water causing a complete shutdown of production with there being little prospect of successfully salvaging any of the equipment.
But with determination, leadership, and a never-say-die attitude, a major clean up operation was soon under way with all the Howarth staff chipping in and helping to pump out water, disinfecting and drying the floors as well as restoring power supplies and telephone lines. As a result it was clear that Howarth intended to be back in production in the quickest possible time.
The next major phase of the operation was to identify and agree with the insurance company which machinery needed to be replaced, and to prioritise the most essential equipment. Mick Toner, the factory manager for the window factory, was left with this challenging task. Mick comments: “Obviously we needed to be back in production as soon as possible but it was important that I identified which key areas needed to be addressed first, one of which was our crosscutting operation.
“Given the serious nature of the situation and with time being of the essence, I had to select machinery suppliers who I knew and trusted – I had no hesitation in contacting Kevin McGlone from JJ Smith to advise him of our requirements.
“Kevin came over immediately to see me and we discussed in detail the specification for a new saw. While a quick delivery time was an important factor it was just as critical that we installed a quality piece of machinery that would cope with our heavy workload.”
The machine proposed was a Stromab Matrix 3 automatic push fed optimising cross cut saw with a 6m infeed capacity. The machine is part of the Matrix range which starts from a simple step-down, programmable automatic saw right through to machines giving full optimising and defecting capabilities, plus the option of downloading cutting lists from the office.
All machines in the range are equipped with heavy-duty all-steel infeed/outfeed tables, a programmable pusher with heavy-duty rack and pinion drive for maximum repeat positioning accuracy, pneumatic lifting of the pusher on the return stroke and also a heavy duty saw unit with 10hp motor and 500mm blade which gives a generous cutting capacity.
In addition, the machines are guarded to a very high standard thus affording a top level of operator safety. Options include infeed loading systems, outfeed unloading systems, label printers and also the latest design-to-saw integration software that links a wide range of external software to the machine.
Once a final specification and price had been agreed, Howarth placed an order for the Stromab saw.
Mick says: “I had no hesitation in confirming the order as I was confident JJ Smith had recommended the most suitable machine to meet our requirements. It was also reassuring to know that they had already installed over 200 Stromab saws all over the UK. Most importantly JJ Smith know the high level of service I expect from our suppliers which is key in such a large manufacturing facility such as we have at Howarth.”
The new saw was installed and operational in a matter of weeks and Mick adds: “We have been delighted with its performance from day one. It is simple to operate and copes easily with our heavy workload. In addition the support and assistance we have received from JJ Smith has been first class.”
During the initial visit to discuss the crosscut saw, Kevin also spotted other machine solutions that JJ Smith could offer. This resulted in further orders being confirmed for a new Centauro Alfa CNC machining centre, a Saomad ST programmable single end-tenoner and a selection of classical machines.
Howarth Timber Windows and Doors is one of the largest manufacturers of timber windows and doors in the UK. Its wide product range includes casement windows, Storvik high performance windows that can accommodate double and triple glazing units, sliding sash, timber door sets including, open in and out, single pairs and extensive bi-fold range. The company is BSI Kitemark accredited for added performance and security.
Stromab Matrix 3 optimising automatic cross cut saw in operation
