As the largest supplier of tooling to British manufacturing, all Leitz tools are safety tested to BS EN 847 standards. From using the right tool for the right job for the best results, to the impact of poor or under-maintained tooling on noise, health and safety, finish quality or helping customers maximise their profitability.
Leitz’s product spectrum includes the entire range of machine-driven precision tooling for machining solid wood, manufactured wood products and plastics and customers range from industrial manufacturers to small workshops in every manufacturing sector, be it window and timber construction, panel processing, advanced materials or furniture making.
“We hear about all sorts of different production and manufacturing issues, from a poor finish right through to noise,” says Leitz Tooling national sales manager, Brian Maddox. “In many cases, the solution can be as simple as the tooling.” Leitz Tooling hears this from customers time and time again.
“Looking at your true production cost per widget, product or panel can really help identify what potential issues might be. If you’re changing saw blades twice a shift, having to check for clogging up or have expensive rectification issues, take a closer look at the tooling and servicing you’re using.”
Precision service
Leitz believes that when serviced tools leaving one of their services centres, they should be ‘as new’. Each of their service processes have been optimised for original producer quality. Cutting edge service techniques enable Leitz to give like-new performance throughout the lifetime of the tool, and reliable pick-up and delivery is tailored to the demands of the customer.
Derek Statham, Leitz Tooling National Service Manager said, “Even the best quality tool can only maintain its optimum performance if it is regularly maintained by specialists. At each of our eight UK service centres across the UK, we pride ourselves knowing that our attention to detail, in-house training and cutting-edge equipment gives the customer the best result time and time again.”
Leitz uses the same machinery and programmes for their tool service that they use for their tool production thus providing the best possible quality therefore giving the customer consistent tool performance.
Run the numbers
The cost-effectiveness of a tool increases proportionally with the number of times it is resharpened. Not only is the number of service lives important, the consistency of the tool life is important too. All customers want is extended production runs, reduced down time, improved surface quality and less wasted material to increase their profits.
For a true comparison, Leitz suggest businesses factor in the cost and frequency of their tooling servicing, the cost of downtime and running the business. Brian Maddox said, “The results are different for each business but customers continue to prove to us that buying cheap inferior tools is a huge drain on their businesses. With our tooling and support, they can get the right finish on the material first time, and in many cases save extraordinary amounts of money. Companies can become fixated on the purchase price of tools, but correct, quality tools can have a positive impact on other costs. Quality service back up and monitoring are also crucial to reducing overall costs.”
Diamond Leitz
From a material profile sample or sketch, Leitz Tooling is now manufacturing polycrystalline diamond (PCD) tipped tools in-house. Derek Statham, Leitz Tooling UK’s national service and works manager, says: “Our modular design for shank tools solves most router machining needs reliably, quickly and economically, with ground shanks to a tolerance engineered for utilising in shrink technology. Our customers are already seeing the benefits of the efficiency of high quality diamond as a cutting material, the low-price and fast delivery of this new service.”
The tool’s performance can be further enhanced when used together with Leitz’s thermal Shrink-Fit system which, by eliminating the need for collet system, makes tools essentially ‘mono-bloc’ ensuring even tooth wear, longer tool life and enhanced workpiece surface finish.
By selecting the optimum PCD grade for the respective application, Leitz produce tooling with exacting quality standards dedicated to the customer’s requirements. A re-sharpening area of 3mm gives on average nine+ lives further proving value and cost efficiency.
Full support for the life of Leitz tools (cradle to grave)
Leitz Tooling customer service and relationship building is at the heart of the company. When companies work with Leitz, they tap into its unrivalled knowledge base. Leitz offers service and support for the life for every tool and system it manufactures, and the support does not stop there. Leitz offers tooling and production trouble-shooting consultations at every exhibition, with the next at W16 at the NEC on stand D410.
For the last three years, the company has run a series of seminars across the country on A+ energy rated future-proof timber window production demonstrating Leitz’s ThermoTech Window System.
Leitz undertakes full factory tooling audits and tooling reviews for manufacturers looking to increase profitability, invest in new machinery, or simply to ensure that all their tooling is compliant in advance of the Health & Safety Executive’s increased scrutiny on all woodworking manufacturers.
The company runs bespoke customer seminars at their Harlow head office on a weekly basis to keep their customers up to date with the latest manufacturing techniques to help improve production throughput and product quality.
Leitz Tooling invites manufacturers in all sectors of wood processing to contact them about production problems, and how its service and tooling can help.
01279 454530
www.leitz-tooling.co.uk
