Growth strategy

¦ Weinig bought Holz-Her in April.
¦ The purchase gives Weinig an entry into the panel industry.
¦ Holz-Her produces CNC machining centres, edge-banding machines and vertical panel saws.
¦ It has patented a closed glued cartridge melting system for edgebanding.

Solid wood and panel processing machinery manufacturer Holz-Her was bought by Weinig AG in April, but will remain as an independent enterprise and continue to trade worldwide under its own brand name. In the UK, it will operate from Weinig’s premises in Abingdon, under the administrative control of Weinig UK’s managing director, Neil Forbes.

Holz-Her’s marketing director Stefan Krebs and sales manager Angelo Amico will remain responsible for UK sales using Weinig’s agent network. Both Holz-Her and Weinig will provide after-sales service to customers.

The acquisition marks Weinig Group’s return to its growth strategy – interrupted by the recession – and gives it an entry into the panel industry. Weinig also expects to profit technically from Holz-Her, particularly in the fields of CNC processing centres, as well as edge and cutting capabilities. Synergy potential for the future has been identified in production, materials management and software services.

Product range

Holz-Her’s range of products includes CNC machining centres, pressure beam saws, edge-banding machines and vertical panel saws and models have been installed extensively in the UK and Ireland over many years. “We have installed Holz-Her machines in all 32 counties in Ireland and they are highly regarded by customers, because of their precision German engineering, innovative technology, productivity and reliability,” said Nick Furlong of High-Tech Machinery Ltd, Weinig’s Irish agent and a representative of Holz-Her for 21 years.

Holz-Her is unique in many ways. It produces its own construction material in-house and employs state-of-the-art CNC metal machining centres to manufacture components for its machines – thus ensuring the highest standards of quality control.

Investment in R&D has resulted in numerous innovative features. For example, its high precision linear saw carriage slides ensure minimum wear and long-lasting precision. Another example is its versatile patented closed gluing cartridge melting system for edgebanding, which is vastly superior to the conventional ‘old’ glue pot system featured on some other edgebanders.

The cartridge feature is a low maintenance system, saves electricity, is a lot cleaner to use and is highly flexible in selecting glue colour and changing over from PVA to PUR glue. Short heat-up times of 3.5 minutes are achievable with this feature.

In the edge-banding sector, Holz-Her’s entry-level AURIGA series is an attractively priced basic machine for small companies. Panels up to 60mm can be processed on it, it features nozzle cartridge unit melting systems as standard and it can be controlled from a PC.

A new middle series model was introduced as recently as Ligna 2009. It features innovative processing options for edge-banded work pieces up to 80mm thick and is available in four versions to meet all needs. Each version can be equipped with a pre-milling station and corner-rounding unit, together with comprehensive accessories such as sprayers for painting and cleaning.

The top of the range CONTRIGA model is for high production gluing and edging. It is ideal for handling heavy, large panels, at high rates and it offers a comprehensive range of accessories, and possibilities for easy flush trimming of panel thickness of up to 65mm.

Pressure beam saw

Holz-Her’s horizontal pressure beam saw, CUT 6120, is designed to meet 100% of panel-cutting needs. Cutting is accomplished with one controlled main saw and the bi-directional sawing unit also ensures efficient grooving up to 35mm. A pre-scoring unit driven by a 2.2kW motor provides for controlled pre-scoring. Optional postforming, including a pre-scorer, guarantees tear-free cutting on panels up to 50mm. Outstanding precision is maintained by linear slides and rack and pinion drives.

Vertical panel saws are the answer for space-saving panel cutting and the Holz-Her is used widely in the UK, particularly in DIY and timber frame markets. The V-CUT 1275 is new on the market and offers exceptional accuracy and quality. A heavy-duty model features a 5.5kW motor and a pre-scoring unit for exceptional finish. With the automatic version, V-CUT 1280, the entire process is controlled on a colour touch screen.

Productive CNC machining centres are offered in two different concepts by Holz-Her. Its PRO-MASTER 7123 provides variable application for substantial processing dimensions of 3.2m in X direction and 1460mm in Y direction. An interchangeable VarioNC unit provides 4.5 axes with significant freedom of movement for custom production. The second concept, DYNESTIC 7516, offers nested-based manufacturing on a continuous processing table with grid subdivision.

In addition to cutting timber-based materials, all Holz-Her machines are also excellent for cutting synthetic and façade panel material. Also, all machines can be linked and networked by Holz-Her software, and can be programmed from a central PC.