Established in 1926, Hammonds Furniture has been crafting striking, high-quality furniture for almost a century. The company has over 300 production staff in its 320,000ft2 Leicestershire-based manufacturing facility. Over the years, HOMAG has become Hammonds’ preferred supplier for woodworking machinery. This is due to the quality, reliability, service support and advanced technology for which the German manufacturer is renowned.
“Consistently producing quality furniture is the foundation of our business success and to achieve this it is important that we invest in the best woodworking machinery available,” explains Hammonds’ production engineering manager, Dave Linforth. “Over the years, HOMAG has always led the market with its technically superior German engineering, which is why it has become our supplier of choice.
“Back in 2002 we invested in one of HOMAG’s double-sided edge banders. From the outset, it was a tremendous workhorse for us, running two shifts a day for most of its life. Over the last 20 years, however, technology has moved on and we felt it was time to replace the machine.”
Evaluating the competition
“Although HOMAG is our preferred machine partner, we nonetheless carry out due diligence when looking to invest in a new machine. Consequently, we evaluated three or four alternative suppliers of double-sided edge banders, including the leading brands from Italy and Germany.
“After careful consideration, we decided to go ahead with the purchase of a HOMAG EDGETEQ D-610 double-sided edge bander. I have personally known Matt Long, HOMAG’s area sales manager, for over 40 years and we already have six HOMAG edge banders in the business. With Matt’s knowledge and experience of both our business and HOMAG’s machine portfolio, he was able to help us ensure we specified the new edge bander to meet our requirements now and in the future.
“One of our drivers for the machine was to have the ability to process thicker edge tapes. The EDGETEQ D-610 not only handles edge tapes up to 3mm thick, but also allows us to change edge tapes very quickly and easily. Overall, it was more than capable of delivering everything we wanted it to do, including enabling us to use PU glue, which we have found to give a much higher quality glue line finish.
“To seal the deal, HOMAG came up with an attractive package and was able to meet our delivery date of before the end of March 2023. We were also able to take advantage of a capital equipment grant which helped contribute towards the acquisition of the new machine.”
Last-minute installation adjustments
“The installation was complicated by the fact that we wanted the new machine to be sited where the old edge bander was located. That meant we had to remove the old machine first before we could install the new EDGETEQ D-610, all whilst minimising production downtime.
“To their credit, the three installation engineers from HOMAG Germany were very thorough. They delivered the new machine on time and had it up and running within the estimated four-week installation period. This was achieved despite them having to come up with a last-minute solution to allow us easier access to manually load the machine.
“Stricter health and safety regulations mean that the new machine has more guard fences around it, slowing the manual loading process. To address this, we asked the engineers what could be done. Their response was terrific; overnight they came up with a solution that was not only totally safe for our workforce, but also enabled us to manually load the edge bander quickly.”
Quality first and foremost
“We use the EDGETEQ D-610 primarily to produce parts for carcasses – cabinet sides, tops and bases for wardrobes, chests of drawers and internal shelving.
“It’s operational for 15 hours a day across two shifts but, despite the heavy usage, the machine is incredibly reliable. For peace of mind, we have a service contract with HOMAG that includes a couple of routine service visits a year. Should we experience any major issue, they have a large team of engineers that enable them to provide rapid support to help our own maintenance team fix the problem.
“The superb level of support and service we receive from HOMAG is one of the key reasons they have become our machine partner of choice. Everyone you talk to at HOMAG is always friendly, professional and willing to help. They really are a great company to work with,” concludes Dave Linforth.
For a demonstration or further information on HOMAG’s EDGETEQ range of single and double-sided edge banders or any other HOMAG woodworking machinery or software, contact Adele Hunt at HOMAG UK on 01332 856424 or email: [email protected]
