Sector Focus: Moulders & Mouldings | 47
SMALLER PACKAGES PACK A PUNCH
Moulder manufacturers continue to add to the hi-tech capabilities of even entry-level to mid-range machines. Mike Jeffree reports
SUMMARY
■ Demand for timber products has driven a recovery in moulder sales
■ Weinig has seen a particular call for higher speed 100m/min machines
■ SCM and Homag have done well with medium-level models
■ The ‘trickle down’ of more advanced technologies is a trend
The UK’s leading moulder suppliers are in general agreement. They report orders and enquiries taking a hit in the first and to a lesser extent the second quarter, but subsequently business getting back on track, reflecting a solid wood processing sector focused on driving efficiency and meeting rising demand. They’re now looking at continued market upturn post-pandemic, with the roll out of new moulder technologies both reflecting business confidence and helping underpin growth. Weinig UK managing director Malcolm Cuthbertson said the market started improving after the first lockdown and that it hasn’t stopped since.
“Demand for timber products has been amazing, with all customers reporting high levels of activity,” he said. “That’s translated into a high volume of enquiries and orders especially in Q4 2020 and Q1 2021. It’s driven by the wish to increase capacity.” SCM Group UK has been “surprised by 2020 developments”.
“The first two quarters were highly affected [by the lockdown], but in the second two the market has experienced an incredible turnaround. We closed the year with an outstanding order book,” said managing director Gabriele de Col. HOMAG concludes that the pandemic will not have had a major impact on the market overall. “Investments were curbed in the first half, but subsequently increased again,” said surface processing specialist Johannes Lang. “Basically the solid wood processing market is growing year on year and the moulder, the main product for the task, is growing with it.” Leadermac experienced continued strong Middle East sales as the first lockdown impacted UK business, then saw the latter surge.
Above: Removing the top cutter on a Weinig Powermat 1500
“Strongest demand was for the larger machines with more automation from bigger companies, notably the Speedmac and Thundermac,” said general manager Martyn Cotterill. “Some have been replacements, but most have been additional machines to meet increased demand. Enquiries for associated tool room equipment have also been strong.” Weinig has seen demand across the range
of moulder specifications, with a particular call for higher speed 100m/min machines. Both SCM and HOMAG say they’ve done particularly well with medium-level models. “Our primary moulder solution is a mid- range machine offering excellent capacity and flexibility,” said Mr Lang.
SCM puts demand for this level of moulder down to customers looking for a combination of ease of use, competitiveness and reliability. “But at the same time we’ve observed customers becoming increasingly willing to look at more technological machines, featuring more electronic control and PLC or PC supervision,” said Mr de Col. A continuing trend in moulders through 2020 has been the ‘trickle down’ of more advanced technologies – once the preserve of big ticket machines – to entry to mid-level models.
At SCM this has seen introduction at all machine levels of electronic positioning of heads in several axes to accelerate set up and avoid errors. “A second focus has been incorporation of component return systems to increase productivity, avoid proximity of operators and reduce manual intervention,” said Mr de Col. “And most revolutionary for many moulder owners is application of our eye-M intelligent control panel supported by our Maestro software suite.” HOMAG too has been ‘downsizing’ moulder advances, applying technologies proven in larger series machines to smaller models. “As of today, all series have the same control platform and the same software can be used across all machine sizes,” said Mr Lang. Weinig stresses that its strategy has been to incorporate technology and automation in smaller machines that deliver “real practical benefits, rather than gimmicks”. “This is evidenced by our Cube Plus [4-side planer] – a marriage of practicality and technology, that gives owners ultimate simplicity and safety in a compact, affordable package.”
In response to customer demand, Leadermac has also been supplying its basic Smartmac/Compact machines with “all the bells and whistles”. ►
www.ttjonline.com | March/April 2021 | TTJ
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