Office furniture manufacturer Incatext has added fresh impetus to its sales growth by investing in a Rye Technology Ltd QM CNC router.
The machine has increased production and improved the quality and precision of components for office screens and veneered furniture.
David Higgins, director of the Somerset-based firm, opted for a router because of the difficulties of recruiting skilled labour.
He started his search for the right equipment in 1999, eventually coming up with a shortlist of two British manufacturers and an Italian company.
The Rye QM was chosen for its long, reliable service life and the fact that the manufacturer is based in the south of England.
Mr Higgins said: ‘Cutting shaped timber rails for the screens was the key operation. We were making 500 a month by hand at that stage, which was keeping four people busy full time.
‘Now the QM does that work in three days with just one operator, making the other people available for other work.’
Incatext also discovered the machine can cut screen end rails from waste material at the end of a panel during a single machining operation, saving materials and time.
Rye QM CNC routers cost between £60,000-80,000.
