UK sawmill machinery manufacturer Stenner has gone into administration.
Ian Walker and Gilbert Lemon of Begbies Traynor were appointed as joint administrators of the Tiverton-based company on March 16.
Stenner is one of the oldest companies in the wood machinery sector, having been established in 1875 and with equipment operating in 125 countries. It has always operated from the same site at Loman Works.
The administrators are continuing to trade the company while attempting to achieve a going concern sale of the business.
“The collapse of the housebuilding industry in the UK, and corresponding severe slowdowns in building and construction worldwide resulted in sudden and catastrophic reductions in capital investment throughout their global customer base,” said the administrators.
“The business was left with insufficient forward orders to keep the company trading in its current form and with no means of riding out the downturn.”
Last year Doug Shopland stepped down as Stenner MD after 20 years at the helm, passing on the reins to Bruce Clothier and taking the role of chairman.
Mr Shopland described the decision to call in administrators as a “sad day” and a blow for workers, some of whom will be made redundant. “I am hopeful that with the help of the administrators, we may be able to keep the business together in a way which will enable it to start again when the economic position improves sufficiently,” he said.
Stenner designs and builds a wide range of machinery, primarily based around the wide bandsaw, including standalone resaws and complete turnkey sawmills.
In the 1990s, Stenner moved donstream from its concentration on log breakdown to square and fencing resaws and the PK (flooring component sawing) and ST (square timber to boards) ranges.
