Carlick is one of the largest manufacturers and suppliers of contract furniture and bespoke joinery to leading UK pub, bar and restaurant groups. The company was established in Manchester in 1974, predominately as a table manufacturing business. It has now developed an enviable reputation in the industry which is synonymous with unrivalled customer service levels, fast turnaround of projects and specialist knowledge.
The company has seen a growth in demand for its products and services as a result of both Brexit and the pandemic, as procurement and compliance manager, Josh O'Donnell explains: “A lot of people are now sourcing furniture products within the UK because they just haven't got the confidence to bring products in from China or Europe. It's also costing more to transport products in from Europe due to Brexit.”
He continues, “We're keeping expectations high by providing a two to three week lead time which is quicker than that offered when products are sourced from overseas. As a result, we're seeing a rise in demand as people are saying it's just not worth the hassle of trying to source from abroad.
Production rates increase by threefold with HOMAG technology
“Carlick first installed HOMAG equipment at our100,000 sq. ft. production facility in 2015. We now use five HOMAG machines to produce our furniture, including two edge banders, a CNC machining centre and two beam saws.
“We recently upgraded our capital equipment and installed a HOMAG LOOPTEQ O-300 and EDGETEQ S-500 to replace an ageing edge banding machine. This new equipment has increased our production rates by threefold and enabled us to become much more efficient.
“The new software in the EDGETEQ is brilliant as it gives us more flexibility to swap and change between edge tape sizes and different uses. This enables us to manufacture a variety of products to bespoke requirements effortlessly with just a couple of clicks.
“The LOOPTEQ O-300 has improved our labour efficiencies as it allows large two-metre long tabletops to be produced on the EDGETEQ by one man instead of two.
“We now make tabletops quicker as we can swap and change boards more easily. This has enabled us to specify a short three week lead time for products, which has been a godsend during the pandemic.
“We have also found that the products produced by the HOMAG machines are of much better quality than they used to be, so we now have far fewer returns,” concludes Josh O'Donnell.
“This new equipment has increased our production rates by threefold and enabled us to become much more efficient.”Josh O'Donnell, Procurement and Compliance Manager, Carlick Contract Furniture