Weeke Vantage 33M is Made to Measure

Christchurch based Made to Measure Furniture, a small bespoke manufacturer of bedroom furniture, has revolutionised its business with the addition of a Weeke Vantage 33M CNC router.

"When we committed to buying this machine," explains Matthew Bates, founder and managing director of Made to Measure Furniture, "I just didn't realise what a huge difference it was going to make to our operation.

"In October 2008, business was less than good. The credit crunch had hit and work just dried up. On top of that my sawman handed in his notice and I was struggling to find a good reliable replacement. I had been reading about CNC routers and the efficiencies they bring to a business but, to be honest, I had not had the time to research them seriously."

Life Changing Decision

Adversity has a way of kicking you into action and with the future looking bleak Bates decided to invest some time exploring what was on offer in the marketplace. "Having looked at the usual suspects," he continues, "I booked a place on one of Homag UK's open days to see a selection of CNC machines in action.

"The team at Homag UK were all very friendly and perhaps, more importantly, knowledgeable and helpful. Their showroom at Castle Donington is impressive and when they invited me to go to Germany to see how the machines are built, it seemed like a good plan.

"When I left for Germany, I had no intention of buying the machine because a nigh on £50,000 investment is serious money for a company like ours that manages a turnover around £300,000. A couple of days with Homag in Germany, however, changed my thinking. To my surprise, the Germans were as affable as the staff at Homag UK and nothing was too much trouble for them. Since working with them, I‘ve found the whole team at Homag are really friendly and approachable people which is very important to me as a small company."

"What really clinched it for me though, was the chance to talk to another UK company who were on the trip with us. Based up in Norwich, this company runs a very similar set up to us and they were over the moon with the CNC router they had bought. By then I was getting very serious and when Tobias, the German sales manager, worked out the finances on a beer mat that evening, I signed said beer mat and we had a deal!"

Going the Extra Mile

The installation was arranged for June; on the agreed date the machine arrived and was duly installed within a week. Bates again, "As CNC machines were completely new to me I spent the weekend getting to grips with it. I must have phoned Robert, the Homag engineer, about nine or ten times that weekend - he was fantastic, answering all my, sometimes daft, questions calmly. Now you may say that's what you'd expect, but he was attending a family celebration in Glasgow that weekend, so his dedication really impressed me. "Prior to installation I had been up to Homag UK for training on the woodWOP software and Chris Conway spent two days with me here in Christchurch training me on the Cut Rite software. Both training courses were excellent and gave me the skills and confidence I needed to hit the ground running."

Transforming the Business Overnight

Investing in the Vantage 33M has changed the business overnight. "I saved over £40k a year on wages," enthuses Bates, "whilst improving the accuracy, quality and consistency of the work immediately. By lease purchasing the machine my costs are spread over two years and I am saving around 60% on equipment maintenance costs for blade sharpening and the like.

"Looking to the future, this Weeke CNC router has the potential to double our turnover and provides a solid foundation to expand the business. Right now, it's all very new and I won't know the true potential for a few months yet. What I can say is that not only has it helped save my business, but it has also rekindled my desire and I can see nothing but opportunity ahead."