A productive future
AXYZ International has built a strong reputation in the UK. How has it achieved this over the years?
The biggest contributing factor has been the high level of commitment we have made to our customers over the years and this has proved pivotal to AXYZ International’s continuing success and the building of its reputation in the UK. From the outset, we have always endeavoured to enhance customer relations by forging strong business partnerships, sharing customers’ objectives - understanding their special needs and providing ongoing technical support - and machine servicing and maintenance facilities for as long as the product or products purchased remain in use.
AXYZ has invested £1m in a new facility in Telford, with a fully featured showroom, with product demonstrations and machine assembly areas
AXYZ International’s CNC Routershop Division has recently been redesigned and expanded to make it even easier for companies to navigate the site and locate products of choice and with a number of innovative new features now incorporated. The 24/7 online resource provides access to arguably the widest range of spare parts, accessories and consumables currently available to CNC machine owners.
Further expansion in the UK has been made possible by the £1m investment in a new and much enlarged main facility in Telford. It incorporates a large and fully featured showroom and expanded product demonstration and machine assembly areas which collectively represent a 100 percent increase in size over the previous site in Wolverhampton.
In terms of product launches and advances in the UK, what have been the highlights?
We can confidently claim to have changed the concept of routing speed and machine configurability, with perhaps among our greatest strengths being the ability to configure machines to suit virtually any manufacturing requirement, from specialist one-off to high-volume multi-faceted projects. We are currently able to offer a staggering 366,918 different machine configurations.
In terms of new product launches, the most significant has been the development of the Trident combined routing/cutting hybrid print finishing system. This has enabled sign and graphics companies to diversify and maximise new and profitable market opportunities such as those that exist, for example, in the packaging and labelling sectors.
A second and more recent development has been the addition of waterjet cutting systems to the AXYZ product portfolio. This followed the acquisition by AXYZ International’s parent company in Canada of the America-based WARDJet, a specialist in waterjet cutting technology. The decision to market these waterjet cutting systems was influenced primarily by the fact that these systems can handle materials that CNC routing/cutting machines cannot, by their very nature and process.
What motivated the development of Trident and what are its key benefits?
At AXYZ, we monitor closely changes in and developments to all relevant technologies. Advancements in digital printing technology have therefore shaped our most recent product development programme and this has resulted in the emergence of the hybrid Trident print finishing system. In addition to allowing sign and graphics companies to engage more fully with digital printing, the machine also enables print finishing to be brought in-house, thus avoiding the added expense of sub-contracting to a third-party with all of the variables that this can create.
The Trident 6010 has been developed, taking inspiration from advancments in print technology
In addition to the combined routing/cutting capability enabled via a high-speed 24,000rpm HSD 10HP routing spindle and oscillating and tangential knife-cutting units, key benefits of Trident include the ability to handle a wide range of rigid, semi-rigid and flexible materials using a single powerful production workhorse. These include materials as diverse as aluminium and other non-ferrous metals, aluminium composites (ACM), acrylic, plastics and their derivatives, foamed and corrugated board, vinyl, cardboard and paper.
Looking at the sign and graphics and digital printing industries, what are the biggest trends affecting technology development?
These are likely to focus on the development of higher-speed and more powerful routing/cutting spindles to accommodate an even wider range of disparate materials. Similarly, there is likely to be advances in software to complement advances in machining technology that will enable better network connectivity, remote diagnostics and integration with other customers’ workflows.
The Trident 4000 CNC router from AXYZ International
What do you enjoy most about your role at AXYZ International and what is your vision for the future?
I enjoy the work with which I am involved and in particular the planning and development of new products, with every day bringing fresh challenges and opportunities. We have a fantastic team of dedicated staff who are very customer-focused and work towards the same goals. Most gratifying is meeting up with customers who are still enjoying the benefits of AXYZ equipment purchased 20 or more years ago!
The future will be very interesting and hopefully even more productive. Technology is enabling us to introduce products that would have been inconceivable ten or more years ago”
The future will be very interesting and hopefully even more productive. Technology is enabling us to introduce products that would have been inconceivable ten or more years ago, while the way we communicate with our many customers is being constantly refined to cover a broader range of issues.
For the full interview go to www.signlink.co.uk and search ‘Marshall’.
Key Stats:
- AXYZ International offer 366,918 different machine configurations
- AXYZ has made a £1m investment in a new facility in Telford
- This site will be a 100 per-cent increase in size from the previous site in Wolverhampton