Elcon 155DS Provides New Opportunities for Stoke Timber

elcon panel saw

Looking for a reliable and efficient panel saw to replace their previous machine, Stoke Timber turned to Daltons Wadkin for an advanced cutting solution. The customisable Elcon 155DS was tailored to suit their requirements, with digital readouts, extended measuring stop, and foot pedal operated material transport rollers. We spoke with Nick Hancock, General Manager at Stoke Timber, to find out how the Elcon vertical panel saw has impacted their production.

elcon panel sawWhat does Stoke Timber produce, and who for?

Stoke Timber are a family owned, traditional soft wood and sheet material merchant based in the heart of Staffordshire. Their customer base is primarily sole traders, joiners, and builders, as well as the general public. Nick spoke proudly of his team and their pro-active approach, “we’ve got a good amount of knowledge between us, led by our MD (Robert Hancock) who has a lifetime of experience in the timber industry”.

Why did you start looking for a vertical panel saw?

The previous vertical panel saw Stoke Timber owned had undoubtedly served them well, but it was time for change. Nick tells us, “it was a little bit dated and a bit clunky. Before I joined, I had heard how rusty it was, how hard it was to work with. It took two people to operate, one loading panels and pinning them back whilst the other one was cutting”. As demand increased, Stoke Timber took on a big project with local stair manufacturers, ‘Stairbox’, and this finally warranted the investment into a new panel saw. Daltons Wadkin were able to work with Stoke Timber to provide a saw perfect for their needs – the Elcon.

What types of work are you processing through the Elcon vertical panel saw?

Acquiring projects which needed high precision and excellent finish quality, the Elcon DS has clearly made a huge impact on Stoke Timber and the work they can now achieve. Nick commented, “We’re doing a lot more precision work. The demand from Stairbox for their accuracy of wedges they have cut. There’s a concrete manufacturer who we cut narrow strips for. They’re very particular with the dimensions and we can meet that accuracy now, whereas we couldn’t with the previous machine”. The speed and efficiency of the Elcon has also made an impact, as Nick tells us about a plywood packaging job which previously would have taken two operators, now with the Elcon it only takes one operator and is a fast operation.

elcon panel sawHow have your operators found working with the Elcon?

Daltons Wadkin supplied training to all operators after delivery, installation, and commissioning. Nick affirmed the ease of working with the Elcon, “all the operators feel confident. It has made a big difference. Just doing simple things like any precision cuts it’s so much easier than it used to be – we can now rely on the digital read outs”. Nick went on to explain one of the key benefits is the operator efficiency, and how quickly one operator can load, mark up, and cut the material. Nick also praises the attention to user experience, highlighting the convenience of the mid-rail fence for supporting smaller scale work.

Would you recommend an Elcon vertical panel saw?

“Providing you’ve got steady workflow and demand, then you’ll quickly see the return on investment. It’s enabled us to take on a few more last-minute jobs which we wouldn’t have been able to do before, because we know we can process jobs quickly and efficiently”.

For more information on the Elcon range of vertical panel saws, contact Daltons Wadkin on 0115 824 4855, visit www.daltonswadkin.com or email info@daltonswadkin.com

Elcon Vertical Panel Saws