Alsford Timber Ltd has invested about £250,000 in equipment to meet high demand for machined timber and cut-to-size sheet materials.
The company’s main timber machining centre at Erith, Kent, has seen the introduction of several Wadkin machines including a PU straight line edger and a GD220 five-head planer/moulder.
Managing director John Griffiths said: “This is not a production facility, it’s all ‘specials’. It is for customers who are looking for particular mouldings or skirtings and architraves.”
Alsford says the GD220 has a quick change cutter block system, allowing quantities as small as 30m runs to be machined cost-effectively.
A new Wadkin template maker and profile grinder means Alsford can now offer a Whitehall Block grinding service, keeping it ahead of forthcoming spindle cutter legislation.
Meanwhile, the centre’s cut-to-size sheet material capacity has more than doubled due to the purchase of an additional Holzma HPL11 beam saw which, linked to optimisation software, calculates the most economical cutting.
The investment has required an increase in staffing levels by more than 50% this year, resulting in reduced lead times and improved customer service at the company’s 17 branches in the south-east.
Alsford has also invested £20,000 in an advertising campaign on national radio station talkSPORT during May and June. Adverts lasting 40 seconds have featured eight times a day in a bid to increase awareness of the company’s range of products and services.
