UK furniture maker sitting pretty after £450k automation investment

Posted on 1 Aug 2017 by Jonny Williamson

Designer and manufacturer of innovative furniture, Godfrey Syrett, has announced a £450,000 investment in a fully automated state-of-the-art cutting machine which it hopes will boost productivity.

By investing in modern automation, manufacturers will be more strategically placed to meet the demands of an increasingly competitive market - image courtesy of Godfrey Syrett
By investing in modern automation, manufacturers will be more strategically placed to meet the demands of an increasingly competitive market – image courtesy of Godfrey Syrett

Godfrey Syrett believes that the investment in automation will enable the company to increase production capacity, shorten lead times, boost efficiency, reduce waste and fulfil an increasing volume of orders.

The new £450,000 Homag BMG machine has been installed at the Durham-based company’s manufacturing site.

Executive chairman at Godfrey Syrett, Mark Dixon explained: “The multi-production system is to be used for cutting, edging and boring furniture panels and will reduce time spent in manual handling by maneuvering production items automatically.

“This follows a long line of technology investment, exceeding £1.5m in recent years. We have also purchased a digital saw, a Lectra fabric cutting and optimisation solution, and we are awaiting installation of an edge bander gluing machine.”

Michael Donachie, operations director at Godfrey Syrett, added: “The BMG machine is a major investment in what represents the latest technology on offer in furniture manufacturing and has already enabled us to fulfil larger-scale jobs within very short time frames.”

Dixon commented: “Despite the turbulence of the Brexit negotiations, the North East manufacturing market remains strong and we have every confidence that the sector will thrive post-Brexit.

“Looking to the future, we believe it is important for manufacturers to invest in automation technologies in order to update current processes and remain competitive and profitable, as well as continuing to invest in a skilled workforce who are ready to adopt these new practices.”

“By investing in manufacturing hardware, we will be more strategically placed to meet the increased demands of a more competitive market and this will help us achieve our long-term goals.”

Earlier this year, Godfrey Syrett increased its growth target to £50m – which it plans to achieve by 2020.

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