Buttle’s, Timber Merchants, Bedfordshire

T.M. Machinery Sales Ltd has helped timber and builders’ merchants Buttle’s maintain its high level of customer service by providing Striebig Compact vertical panel saws for a new sheet materials cutting service.

They have been installed at all three of the independent company’s branches, in Leighton Buzzard, Bedfordshire, St. Albans, Hertfordshire, and Kentish Town, north London. The saws cut MDF, plywood and chipboard sheets to the exact sizes required by customers.

Striebig Compact

The sheets range in thickness from 3.2 to 30mm. The Compact is loaded by the operator with multiple batches of sheets up to 12mm thick, with those thicker cut singly. They have also been used to trim kitchen worktops up to 3m long. Designed for high output, space saving Compact models are available in frame sizes from 3100 x 1644mm up to 4600 x 2070 mm. They are precision-built in Switzerland and operate to an accuracy of 0.1mm.

Buttle’s specified the 3100 x 1644mm frame size that allows it to cut 10 x 5ft sheets as well as standard 8 x 4ft panels.

TRK Dust Extraction System

With its built-in TRK dust extraction system, chips and dust are deposited well away from the operator in closed spaces behind the panel support. Among optional extras available to boost productive capacity is an integral scoring saw that gives smooth edges on the toughest of faced materials.

Buttle plc operations director Philip Norton said the company was always looking for new ways to improve customer service and increase turnover.

“The cutting service has proved a real winner. We are now selling considerably more sheet materials at all three branches, which represents additional revenue we would not have had if we didn’t offer the service.”

For example, a builder recently asked them to cut 100 MDF sheets into a variety of different sizes. He supplied a cutting list of the sizes required and Buttle’s delivered the cut items to site.

T.M. Machinery Sales of Leicester, Striebig’s sole UK sales agent, also provided full on-site operator training.

The Compacts were specified by Buttle’s following a strong recommendation from its timber equipment training advisor. With the extra revenue being generated they expect the saws to have paid for themselves in less than two years.