Brandt KDF 430C Edgebander - The Wright Choice

In January 2009, the Wright brothers, Tom and Chris, invested in a new state-of-the-art Brandt edgebander for their Hanworth based cutting and edging service. The purchase was made to improve the productivity and quality of their offering.

"When we started the company in 2003," explains Tom Wright, co-founder and managing director of Wrights Carpentry, "we didn't have the funds to invest in anything but an entry level edgebander. For the first few years that was fine, but we needed to improve the productivity and quality of the edging service and that meant investing in a more advanced machine.

"The problem with the entry level machine was that setting it up for a job was more like an art than a science and as a consequence, not only did it take longer to prepare, but also the results were variable, dependent on how well it had been set up.

"Initially, we looked at our then existing supplier's offerings and the Brandt range from Homag UK. The decision to go with the Brandt KDF 430C was made easy for four key reasons. Firstly, the Brandt machine has two trimming units in line, which gives us the capability of working with much shorter work piece lengths. Secondly, it has a pre-milling unit at the front end to trim the panels and this guarantees us an excellent finish with no unsightly chips or edge imperfections.

"The versatility of the package we were able to specify was another benefit. Because of the lack of space in our unit, we couldn't fit the next size of machine into the workshop; however, we wanted the capabilities that the larger model provided. As a solution, Homag suggested we upgrade the software to PC20; this enabled us to gain many of the advantages of the bigger device, such as controlling the settings inside the machine from the keyboard rather than having to open up the machine and manually change them.

"The final deal clincher was the Homag sales advisor, who gave us tremendous confidence with his approach and attention to detail. He helped specify the right machine for our needs and was able to provide answers to all our questions." The machine was delivered on time, installed and fully operational within two days, so there was very little disruption to production at Wrights. Co-director and workshop manager, Chris Wright, had a day's onsite training and was very impressed how easy it is to program and operate the machine.

"There's a lot to take in at first," says Chris, "however, the Homag trainer did a great job and their team at head office are always on the end of a phone to guide me if I need help. The odd occasion when we have hit a snag, I have been very impressed with their speed of reaction and willingness to fully resolve the issue."

Since installing the Brandt KDF 430C, Wrights business has forged ahead. "The quality and consistency of the work we turn out is in a different
league," enthuses Tom Wright.

"Our turnover and profit have increased as a direct result of introducing the Brandt edgebander into the workshop and we have had lots of comments from customers who have noticed the improvement in quality. "We can now scrape and buff and do corner rounding to provide a much higher finish. Consequently, we are attracting customers who demand a better quality product and that is good business for us because it is taking us into new markets.

"All in all, the Brandt KDF 430C has revolutionised our edging business. It saves on production time, improves our quality and eases the pressure on the workforce. It was a big decision to invest in the machine, but the pay back has been immense.

"I would recommend Homag's range of edgebanders to anyone looking to purchase a new machine that guarantees quality, reliability and value for money," concludes Wright.

Homag UK Ltd
10c Sills Road
Willow Farm Business Park
Castle Donington
Derby DE74 2US
Tel Fax 01332 856500 01332 856400
Email discovermore@homag-uk.co.uk
Online www.homag-uk.co.uk