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STRIEBIG
HELPS NORTH YORKSHIRE TIMBER RISE FROM THE ASHES
North
Yorkshire Timber has bought two Striebig vertical
panel saws for its new distribution centre and
a new local branch in Northallerton.
Their
opening follows a disastrous fire that destroyed
the heart of the company's operations last October,
and brings the number of Striebig saws at the
independent timber merchants to four.
The fire totally destroyed a 38,000 sq ft building
at its Northallerton headquarters. Inside were
most of the timber stocks held for distribution
to its branches and a well- equipped machine shop.
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| The
Striebig Econom II vertical panel saw at North
Yourkshire Timber's new branch in Northallerton. |
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"We
lost all our internal stock - everything except
for the timber carcassing that was stored outside
- together with all the production machinery in
the mill, including a Striebig saw, and our fleet
of delivery vehicles," said Operations Director
Mark Williams. The damage ran into several millions
of pounds.
"The
fire was a serious setback as we were well on
target for a record turnover of £10 million for
our 2003/04 financial year."
Despite
the problems caused by the fire the company is
determined to increase turnover by 50% over the
next five years. The business, which celebrates
its 25th anniversary this year, has a young and
ambitious management team. The last few years
have seen steady expansion, achieved through acquisitions
and branch openings.
A business in Ripon was bought in 1992; the Richmond
branch was set up in 1997, and an acquisition
in Middlesborough took place a year later. In
2000 it established a presence in Sunderland through
the acquisition of Joseph Thomson Timber, which
has been in existence since 1845 and still trades
under its original name.
The
company serves customers from Newcastle in the
North to Leeds in the South and has been extremely
successful in facing up to competition from the
national chains.
An extensive range of softwoods, hardwoods and
sheet material is kept in stock. It recently expanded
into the supply of hardwood flooring, doors, windows
and fencing materials to meet the requirements
of trade and domestic customers. It also benefits
by having contracts to supply constructional and
machined timber for one or two important niche
markets in the UK and overseas.
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North
Yorkshire Timber's new Striebig Econom II
vertical saw, shown with its extraction unit,
is a real space saver. |
"Following
the fire it has taken us several months to get
back on an even keel again," said Mr Williams.
"We worked hard to ensure there was minimal disruption
to our customers by pulling in stock from other
branches and hiring delivery vehicles"
After
deciding to split up the Northallerton operation
the new 20,000 sq ft local branch, with covered
storage space, opened at the end of February.
A new 60,000 sq ft distribution centre in Brompton-on-Swale,
near Catterick, that houses the newly equipped
milling operation, will be fully operational by
the end of March.
A
Striebig Econom II model has been bought for the
new branch and a larger Standard II for the new
mill, to replace the saw lost in the fire.
The
company has two existing Striebig saws. An Econom
II model, bought around 10 years ago for Northallerton
is still going strong at Middlesborough, and a
Compact TRK was installed in Sunderland as part
of an ongoing development plan begun when the
Joseph Thompson Timber operation was acquired.
They
are used for panel sizing on hardwood, softwood,
MDF and chipboard panels, ranging from 1220 x
2400mm up to 1830 x 3050mm.
The
Econom is a basic model offering high-precision
cutting whilst the Compact series, with frame
sizes starting at 10 ft x 5 ft, is ideal for smaller
workshops or as a second machine in larger businesses.
The mid-range Standard II comes in a choice of
nine frame sizes, two frame types, two motor sizes
and three extraction systems, amongst many other
options.
Each
machine is based on a single, fully welded sawing
frame to give decades of reliable service whilst
maintaining cutting precision.
"Being
able to cut panels to the exact size required
by customers adds value to our product offering,"
said Mr Williams. "Striebig is our preferred vertical
panel saw supplier. Each of our operations has
its own cutting needs and size limitations and
Striebig is able to fulfil all our size and throughput
requirements.
"He
said he had no hesitation in ordering the two
latest saws." I did make a price comparison but
consider Striebig to be the very best there is.
They are not the cheapest by far, but with their
tough build, quality of cut and reliability they
offer tremendous value for money.
"Mr
Williams is delighted with the speedy service
received from Striebig's sole UK agents, T. M.
Machinery Sales of Leicester, following the fire."
The saw was the very first piece of equipment
we bought for our new Northallerton branch," he
said. "It was delivered and installed less than
two weeks after we ordered it. This is the kind
of service that makes me very happy, particularly
after such a devastating setback."
Sales
enquiries to Matt Pearce, T.M. Machinery Sales
T: 0116 271 7155. F: 0116 271 5862
E: sales@tmservices.co.uk
W: www.tmpartnership.co.uk
Editorial enquiries to Stephen Barry Publicity.
Tel: 020 8341 6660. email: stephenbarry@clara.co.uk
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