Summary
¦ Daltons acquired Wadkin’s IP rights in May.
¦ A Wadkin AGS 430 was the first machine to be produced by Daltons.
¦ The Wadkin brand will be relaunched at W10.
When Daltons acquired the intellectual property rights of Wadkin, Francis Dalton declared that the iconic British woodworking machinery producer brand had “come home”.
He had good reason to make such a claim. After all, Daltons had traded with Wadkin for some 50 years and few know the company and its machines better than Francis Dalton.
Daltons already owned the manufacturing and distribution rights to the Wadkin Classical range of machinery, but had never thought it would one day be in a position to take over the Wadkin brand.
Wadkin had endured turbulent times in recent years – going into administration about four times in the past 10 years. The most recent time was the beginning of the year, when the Leicester factory closed. But now, with the Wadkin operation newly established at Daltons’ Nottingham base, Daltons has plans for Wadkin to be on firmer footings, with a number of initiatives to capitalise on its worldwide reputation.
Wadkin brand
Daltons’ director Francis Dalton said the Wadkin brand would be operated alongside Daltons’ business as a machine manufacturer and distributor, also offering machine service, training and parts supply. Some Wadkin personnel have transferred to Daltons’ Nottingham base, including commercial manager Alan Powney.
“Historically the Wadkin name has been synonymous with some of the finest UK designed and built woodworking machinery and the brand is still recognised worldwide today,” said Mr Dalton.
“After watching the ups and downs of the Wadkin business from the sidelines over recent years it is particularly satisfying for us to have the opportunity of restoring the Wadkin name and associating it with the same ethics and business practices which have proved so successful in our own organisation.”
The acquisition effectively gives Daltons complete control over the manufacturing process, which Mr Dalton said could result in machine price reductions.
“We have incorporated the Wadkin name into all our company’s activities. We have set up a Wadkin website, renewed Wadkin telephone numbers and Wadkin email addresses. All our paperwork will also shortly feature Wadkin, as will our service vans and engineers’ overalls.
“We are inviting enquiries to Wadkin from both home and overseas for woodworking machines, an infinite variety of Wadkin spare parts for machines old and new, tooling, operator training and, of course, service and aftercare. The renewal of existing Wadkin service contracts will be a priority.
“Production of Wadkin classical machines is now back on stream at Nottingham and we are currently manufacturing tilt arbor sawbenches, vibratory head mortisers and radial arm cross-cut saws with further orders in hand for spindle moulders and bandsaws.”
New machine
A brand new Wadkin AGS 430 sawbench was the first machine off the assembly line. This was the first of an initial batch of five AGS 430s, all of which were sold prior to completion.
“It’s incredibly satisfying to see new Wadkin machines being manufactured and looking better than ever,” said Alan Powney, who is overseeing the new build programme for Wadkin machines.
The Wadkin range includes the AGS 430 and 300 sawbenches, C700 bandsaw, DMV mortiser, BRA 350, 400 and 450 cross-cuts, and BEL spindle moulder.
The first batch of AGS 430s was closely followed by five DMV mortisers, five AGS 300 sawbenches, complete with sliding tables, and two BRA cross-cuts.
A backlog of orders will ensure the Wadkin production line will be at full capacity through the coming months to keep up with customer demand. The range is under review, with new models in development to add to the portfolio.
“The first machines have already been supplied to ministry departments and further machines are destined for a large technical college project,” added Mr Dalton.
“We plan to reintroduce the Wadkin name to the woodworking sector at the W10 exhibition in October where Wadkin will have its own stand featuring a selection of new machines, together with material promoting the variety of support services on offer.
“We intend to use Wadkin to increase market penetration both at home and overseas. Conversely we hope shortly to be adding imported machines complementary to the UK-manufactured range which will be marketed under a Wadkin imports brand.”
