Heywood Pool & Snooker Co Ltd is a privately owned family business renowned for producing premium quality coin-operated pool tables for the pub and hospitality markets. Established in 1985 and with an annual turnover of around £3 million, the 15-strong team operates out of a 35,000 sq ft production facility in Heywood Lancashire.
The business was having issues with its existing beam saw and concluded it was the right time to invest in a more state-of-the-art replacement. Heywood’s managing director, Dave Hallworth takes up the story: “Our old saw had broken down due to a software problem which took three weeks to fix. I worked out that the downtime had cost the business upwards of £30,000, and decided that enough was enough.”
He continues: “We already had two HOMAG CNC machining centres in the workshop and they had worked tirelessly for many years. Consequently, when it came to selecting a new saw, we had no hesitation in contacting HOMAG first. Their machinery is legendary for its cutting edge technology, precision, build and finish quality.
“We sat down with the HOMAG area sales manager and discussed our requirements. He recommended the SAWTEQ B-300 because it gave us the option of having the operating screen on the left or the right of the saw. Because of the layout of our production facility, it was important for us to have the screen on the left and the smaller saws didn’t give us this option.”
Installation and training
The installation of the saw went exactly to plan. Once Heywood had dismantled its old saw, the HOMAG machine was delivered and fitted within six working days. The engineers who completed the install also trained Haywood’s operators on site.
“The HOMAG engineers were fantastic,” explains machine shop manager, Steve Guidon. They were extremely thorough and accommodating, making sure we understood how to get the best out of the saw from day one. The SAWTEQ B-300 has exceeded our expectations. It is so much better and more efficient than our previous saw.
“It is easy to operate, extremely fast and delivers excellent quality. The cuts are squarer and more precise; we get consistent quality cuts no matter what size of panel we are processing.”
CADmatic 5 – Intuitive operation
The CADmatic 5 control system for the HOMAG SAWTEQ B-300 features a new assistance graphic that clearly shows machine operators what they have to do next. This results in more efficient processing and consistent output. The powerTouch 2 user interface has simple tapping and swiping functions on its 24in full-HD monitor with multi-touch display in widescreen format.
The optional intelliGuide system features a coloured LED strip at the cutting line. This enables intuitive operation and a quicker, safer way of working, as the machine operators can immediately see if a part has been fully processed, needs to be cut again or can be disposed of as waste.
In conclusion managing director Dave Hallworth says: “We are absolutely delighted with our new HOMAG SAWTEQ B-300. Not only is the machine superbly made, fast, efficient and easy to use, but also the backup service from HOMAG UK is fantastic. It gives us real peace of mind that we have partnered with such a professional company. Why would I buy from any other machine supplier?”
For a demonstration or further information regarding HOMAG beam saws or other woodworking machinery and software, contact Adele Hunt at HOMAG UK on 01332 856424 or email: [email protected]
HOMAG SAWTEQ B-300 - networked production for batch size 1 and smaller series
HOMAG powerTouch2 monitor
A Heywood pool table
