Timbermark Manufacture was established in 2011 as a specialist joinery manufacturer located out of Lisburn, Northern Ireland. From the outset, the company’s goal was to offer high-quality bespoke joinery services to the commercial, residential and hospitality markets.
“The business has been incredibly successful in a short timeframe,” founder and managing director Tim Brown enthuses. He continues, “A significant portion of our work is in London where we have won joinery projects for high-end hotels, residential properties and exclusive bars, clubs and restaurants.
“These customers demand very high-quality products. To achieve the level of finish required, we were spending an inordinate amount of time hand-finishing our work. Not only was this slow, but it was also extremely costly and it was handicapping opportunities to expand the business.
“Although we had an old sanding machine, it was too slow and couldn’t handle the type of work we needed to process. The decision was made, therefore, to invest in a modern wide belt sander.
“The new sander was going to be a cornerstone of our manufacturing and so we invested a great deal of time researching the market. The W18 show at the NEC was ideal; it enabled us to compare a lot of the brands under one roof which proved to be an extremely informative exercise.”
Quality and service
“We were able to see many of the different machines in operation and, equally as important, talk to the people at each company. It was these demonstrations and discussions that steered our decision towards the HOMAG SANDTEQ machine.
“We have always had a strong relationship with Derek Reid, HOMAG’s representative in Ireland; he is a straight-talking open and honest guy who understands our business. When we visited the W18 show, we found that all the people at HOMAG had a similar open and honest approach.
“They knew their machines inside out and clearly wanted to solve the manufacturing challenges we faced. Our goal was to source a high quality all-round wide belt sanding machine that could handle veneers, calibration and general sanding jobs. HOMAG’s team understood what we were looking for straight away and were focused on demonstrating various options that would meet our needs.
“Although many of the competition’s machines were good, they weren’t quite up to the standard of the SANDTEQ W-200. In addition, we weren’t getting the same level of confidence that HOMAG’s people gave us.
“The evaluation process was lengthy, but in the end the decision to invest in the HOMAG sander was clear-cut. The build quality of the machine and the superb results it achieves, backed by the strength of the HOMAG brand and the excellent service and support, made a solid business case.”
Significantly improved quality and throughput
“With the SANDTEQ W-200, what used to take us hours can now be done in minutes and we don’t have to do any hand-finishing. We love the fact that the table stays level and the machine moves up and down; this enables us to operate the sander with one person as the infeed and outfeed remain at the same height.
“Since the machine was installed just after Christmas 2019, our productivity has soared and the quality of work we produce has set new standards for the business. Once the HOMAG engineer had trained our operators on site, we were able to quickly maximise the benefits the machine brings to the business. From calibrating doors and sanding veneers to sanding general workpieces, such as skirting boards or panels, the SANDTEQ takes it all in its stride,” concludes Tim Brown.
If you’d like a demonstration or more information on HOMAG’s wide belt SANDTEQ machines, please contact HOMAG UK on 01332 856424.
“From calibrating doors and sanding veneers to sanding general workpieces, such as skirting boards or panels, the SANDTEQ takes it all in its stride.”Tim Brown, Timbermark Manufacture's founder and managing director