For those involved in the contract furnishing markets, the importance of being able to consistently produce high quality panel products to tight time frames is paramount. By their nature, large contract jobs demand specific delivery deadlines and often come with heavy penalty clauses for late supply.
That’s why more and more manufacturers are turning to top end, technically advanced German woodworking machinery they can rely on 100%.
Homag Ambition 2274 - fast edgebanding processing with strong PU adhesive
“Our guiding principle is the first-class quality and finish of all our work,” claims Bernard Mathews, managing director at Mathews Kitchens in Dunleer, Ireland. He continues: “Five years ago we expanded our manufacturing into the contract office furniture market, the demands of which are completely different to those of the bespoke kitchen and bedroom furniture industry that was the foundation of our business.
“To compete in the contract office furniture market you need machinery that can produce large volumes of panels quickly, but without compromising the quality of the finish or the strength of edge bonding.
“We have been a customer of Homag UK for over 20 years and have invested in a Holzma beam saw, a flat-bed Weeke CNC, a Homag BAZ CNC and a Weeke BHX 050 routing and drilling unit. So, when we were looking for a new edgebander that would meet stringent production demands, we naturally talked to them first.”
First-class service and knowledgeable advice
“Derek Reid is the area manager in Ireland for Homag UK and over the years we have come to trust and highly value his opinions. When we discussed our plans with Derek he came back with a couple of options that would meet our goals. After carrying out our own research and seeing the Homag Ambition 2274 in action, it was clear to us that this was the machine that would meet all the production demands of our business.
“It certainly wasn’t the cheapest option but, when we’d added the solid wood edging package and boomerang return system, we knew it was the right solution to give us a real advantage over our competition.”
A bold decision that has more than paid off
“The Ambition 2274 uses PU gluing which not only gives the panels a very clean gluing line, but also provides a much stronger adhesion to the panel over the traditional hot melt solution with the added advantage of very high water repellence.
“The speed of the machine is impressive too. Our previous edgebander gave us great results at 11m per minute, but the Ambition 2274 more than doubles our capacity. It will happily run at 25m per minute and yet the finish quality is absolutely superb, whether we are producing 10 or 100+ panels.
“Our decision to purchase the Homag Ambition 2274 was made on performance, not price and I am so glad we took that bold choice. If we’d have gone for a cheaper option, it would not have been able to cope with the high volumes of work we have put through the 2274.”
German efficiency backed by a professional team in the UK
“As you would expect from a leading German company, the installation process was completed with military precision. We were given a 12-week lead-time for the installation and everything happened on the precise date and time set out in that original schedule.
“It was very impressive and made liaising with the extraction, electrical and other contractors very easy. On the third and fourth days of the installation schedule, Homag’s Alec Workman trained our staff on the machine and, after just a couple of weeks, we were enjoying production capacity benefits of at least 30%.
Homag’s PowerTouch touchscreen controller makes operating the machine easy and the resetting of the machine for different jobs is quick, reliable and very accurate.
“It has enabled us to compete for and win significantly bigger contracts because we are absolutely confident we can produce the quality and yet still deliver on time. The machine has allowed us to attract new customers, many of whom are stipulating the use of PU gluing which, of course, the Ambition 2274 provides.
“Since installing the Ambition 2274, we’ve pushed it to its limits; despite this, it hasn’t let us down once. Over the years, Homag has always been there when we need them, so we know that even if we do have an issue it will be fixed quickly. The service they provide overall is superb and even the Homag Finance package they negotiated for us was cheaper than our own bank could offer,” enthuses Bernard Mathews.
For more information or a demonstration of the Homag Ambition 2274 edgebander, contact Adele Hunt at Homag UK on 01332 856424.
01332 856500
www.homag-uk.co.uk
