Based in Letchworth Garden City, Hertfordshire, Chilfen Joinery is part of the Chilfen Group of companies. With a heritage stretching back to 1960 the joinery division delivers bespoke joinery solutions to the commercial, high end residential, office, education and retail sectors.
“The company’s philosophy has always been to combine traditional workmanship with the latest technology,” explains Chilfen Joinery’s sales director, Simon Brown. He continues, “This approach has enabled us to remain at the forefront of the industry working closely with main contractors, architects, interior fit-out companies, contract office furniture suppliers and designers for retail brands.
“Our relationship with HOMAG began about eight years ago when we invested in an automated storage and retrieval system with a HOMAG beam saw. Since then we have added a new edge bander and a DRILLTEQ V-500 vertical CNC machine. The latest addition to our plant list is the HOMAG SANDTEQ W-200.
“The old sander was coming to the end of its lifecycle. So, in line with our policy of continuous investment, the time was right to upgrade to a machine that would complement and improve the production equipment we already have.”
HOMAG – Our first port of call
“Given the relationship we’ve developed with HOMAG UK over the last eight years, naturally they were our first port of call when it came to discussing a replacement for the sander.
Whilst we looked at what else was out there in the market, our experience of working with HOMAG, coupled with the positive feedback we gained from a site visit where the sander was already operational, gave us the confidence we needed to place the order for the SANDTEQ W-200. We were particularly impressed by the first-class finish the W-200 achieved.
Cutting-edge technology
”The SANDTEQ W-200 is far more efficient than the machine it replaced and that is largely down to the more advanced technology that is incorporated into the W-200. Although we have only had the machine a few months, we believe it will pay for itself in under three years. It is clear that not only is it more efficient, but it will also save us man hours and provide a superior finish to our products.
“As you’d expect from the world’s leading woodworking machinery brand, HOMAG planned the installation of the sander in great detail. It arrived on time and the installation went smoothly so there was little or no impact on our day-to-day operations.
“The SANDTEQ was fully operational inside a few days, with the HOMAG installation engineer training our operators on site. It really couldn’t have been more straightforward.”
A partnership that goes from strength to strength
“Working with a partner such as HOMAG is incredibly important for us. Not only have we benefitted from the build quality and technical superiority of all their machines, but we also profit from the trust, credibility, service, support and response times they deliver.
“As a second generation family run business it is qualities like these that we hold dear to our hearts. We would certainly recommend any joinery business looking to develop a true partnership with a machinery manufacturer to talk to HOMAG first,” concludes Brown.
Contact Adele Hunt at HOMAG UK
T: 01332 856424
