With Professional Woodworking Expo 2026 geared towards small and medium-sized woodworking manufacturers, TM Machinery exhibited the Striebig Compact vertical panel saw alongside the AL-KO Power Unit 160 dust extraction system — two machines chosen for that audience, and built to help workshops improve productivity, make better use of available space and invest in equipment that keeps delivering value as the business develops.
“The conversations reflected what we’ve been seeing in the market for a while now,” says Managing Director Matt Pearce. “People are still investing, but they’re taking a lot more time over it — weighing things up much more carefully than they would have a few years ago.”
Striebig – beyond the cut
The Striebig Compact gained the attention of workshops where every square metre matters. Its vertical design requires as little as a third of the floor space of a sliding table saw setup, letting full-size panels be cut quickly, accurately and safely without the extra room needed to handle large boards. But floorspace wasn’t the only thing visitors raised — materials handling came up just as much.
“It’s about not having to handle big sheets flat,” says Matt. “One person can load a full sheet straight onto the machine and break it down safely — you’re not tying up two people just to move a board around.” That combination of a small footprint and easier handling makes the Compact particularly well suited to growing workshops. Full-size panels can be processed safely and efficiently, removing unnecessary lifting and smoothing the workflow — allowing workshops to increase output without needing more space.
Choosing the Compact doesn’t mean compromising on precision. It delivers the same cutting accuracy and repeatability that have become synonymous with the Striebig name, producing assembly and glue-ready edges straight from the saw to minimise waste and reduce the need for secondary processing. Available with digital measuring on both axes, a scoring unit and Striebig’s OptiDivide cutting optimisation system, the machine can be configured for the way each workshop works, while providing the flexibility to develop as production requirements change.
Many visitors were already familiar with the Striebig name and its reputation. What surprised them wasn’t the Compact’s capability, but the level of investment required.
“People know Striebig are top-end machines, so they expect the price to match,” says Matt. “But once we’d talked them through what you actually get — a brand-new machine, delivered, two-year warranty — quite a few realised it was more within reach than they’d assumed.”
AL-KO – beyond extraction
While the Striebig Compact showed how the right saw can save space and ease materials handling, the AL-KO Power Unit 160 shifted the conversation to dust extraction. “For years it was often about finding the cheapest way of extracting dust,” says Matt. “We’re seeing more businesses recognise that extraction is a longterm investment and that better quality systems bring benefits beyond simply collecting waste.”
With a compact footprint, the Power Unit 160 brings industrial dust extraction within reach of smaller and growing manufacturers. Fully compliant with BS EN 16770, it is designed for installation inside the workshop without the need for additional explosion protection measures. By safely recirculating 100% of filtered air back into the workshop, it helps maintain a healthier working environment while reducing heat loss and energy consumption.
The AL-KO OPTI-JET® filter cleaning system automatically keeps the filters operating at peak efficiency, while the integrated collection container helps keep dust contained during emptying, reducing the release of fine particles back into the workshop. Low noise levels and a plug-and-play design make it straightforward to integrate into existing workshops.
As with the Striebig Compact, choosing the smaller machine doesn’t mean compromising. As one of several models in AL-KO’s Power Unit range, the Power Unit 160 delivers the same filtration standard found throughout it, giving smaller workshops industrial dust extraction in a system sized to suit their production requirements. Looking ahead, Matt believes regulation and changing expectations will increasingly influence those investment decisions.
“We’re seeing greater HSE focus on woodworking businesses, and at the same time there are still extraction systems commonly used in the UK that wouldn’t be accepted elsewhere in Europe,” he says. “I think more companies are beginning to recognise that investing in a higher-quality system now is about future-proofing the business as much as meeting today’s requirements.”
The pressures behind these conversations aren’t unique to a show floor — every workshop is weighing the same questions about how to get more from the space, people and money it already has. And for Matt, the current caution cuts both ways. “The temptation is always to delay investment,” he says. “But if a business is financially strong and has a quieter period, that’s often the best time to improve the workshop, before things get busy again.”
Both the Striebig Compact and the ALKO Power Unit 160 reflect that approach. They’re not about buying the biggest machine or the highest specification available, but choosing equipment that’s right for the workshop, the workload and the business, while continuing to deliver value as production grows.
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