International Timber invests in new moulding machine at Trafford Park

Following a £30,000 toolroom extension in December 2015, the UK’s largest supplier and distributor of timber and panel products International Timber has made a further £500,000 investment in new machinery at Trafford Park.

The main investment was a new moulding machine; The Powermat which enables large savings in material and short setup times with maximum wood yield.

The move is in line with a shift review to increase capacity by 22%.

The new CNC controls for the £200,000 Powermat will increase accuracy and reduce the rejected amount of first cut-offs. Other features include networking capabilities with the toolroom and two additional moulders. The moulder is anticipated to yield 50% efficiency gains in set times and throughout.

A grinder was also purchased to the value of £60,000 providing efficiency gains due to the pneumatic and hydraulic assisted setting. Other improvements made include: a workshop extension, anti-fatigue flooring, new lighting and a toolroom office with full comms.

Tony Miles, Managing Director of International Timber said: “The introduction of these improvements to the Mill, which services all four of our regions, enables streamlined processes, faster service and profitable production. Reliability, short setup times and maximum wood yield are seen with the use of the Powermat.

“The investment is the start of a mill improvement program with a further 700K planned over the next 12 months to enable us to meet our customer’s needs and deliver exceptional customer service.

“The wood can be processed in a single pass; first by four-sided planning and then by splitting resulting in high production capability. During this process the work piece is pressed flat against the guiding surfaces, resulting in significant savings in material.”