Ayrshire-based sawmiller Adam Wilson & Sons Ltd has purchased a Holtec Autocut V CNC packsaw to relieve a bottleneck at its main plant in Troon.
Over the last 10 years some £12m has been invested in the mill. Sawline capacity was increased two years ago, and demand has exceeded expectations to the extent that the multi-head cross-cut used for precision end-cutting timber before it is packaged could not keep up.
Supplied by Holtec’s UK/Irish agent Woodtech Machinery, the Autocut is used for precision, high volume cutting across the range of products processed by the mill. Critical factors in the decision to buy the machine were its accuracy of +/-1mm, and the CNC automation which allows a single operator to cut more than 40 packs per eight-hour shift (based on three cuts per pack).
The 150-year-old family-owned Adam Wilson group operates sawmilling, timber importer and builders merchant businesses. The Troon mill is probably the largest single sawmill in Scotland, producing in excess of 120,000m3 of sawn softwood (mainly sitka spruce) per year. Some 70% of production is carcassing (mainly KD C16 graded material), with 25% boards for packaging and pallets and 5% fencing materials.
“We originally started looking at packsaws to replace an old machine that had been used for rough cutting packs of timber and needed replacing,” said Darryl Francis, sawmilling director at Adam Wilson. “However, we soon realised that the sophistication and accuracy of the Holtec machines offered far more possibilities than just rough cutting.
“As well as supplementing the cross-cutting facilities of our existing multi-head machine and giving us the extra capacity we needed on the sawline, the Autocut will open up new market opportunities for us.”
