Page 20 Panel, Wood & Solid Surface October 2010

W10 � NEC BIRMINGHAM � OCT 3-6 W10 � NEC BIRMINGHAM � OCT 3-6

Panel, Wood & Solid Surface October 2010 Page 21

Guild Anderson moves into CNC with FelderGUILD Anderson is a leadingsupplier of bespoke kitchensand has seen business grow de-spite the economic downturn.To cope with demand, companyowner, Nick Anderson, has re-cently invested in a Profit H 22CNC machining centre, part ofFelder’s Format-4 range.

Guild Anderson was formed sixyears ago by husband and wifeteam Nick and Hannah Anderson.With a background in naval archi-tecture and computer program-ming, Nick moved into kitchendesign “as I had a strong desire todesign and make beautiful things”.He trained in the workshops ofleading kitchen designers Markand Cynthia Wilkinson beforestepping out on his own.

“Every one of our kitchens is aunique creation, made fromscratch,” says Nick. “We do not useany standard units, designs orsizes.”

The key to his success is his de-sign philosophy: “We believekitchen design is not just aboutusing beautiful materials to createstunning kitchens. A well-de-signed kitchen not only looksgood but also allows you to createfood quickly and easily. In fact,great kitchens inspire you to cookbetter because they are such a joyto work in.”

Guild Anderson’s associationwith Felder goes back a long way:“I bought a Hammer table sawfrom them seven years ago, whenI first started the business. It hasperformed well: it was relativelyinexpensive and, for its price, hasdone us proud,” Nick told PW&SS.

Since then, Nick has beenpleased with the support he hasreceived from the company, aswell as with the quality of the mar-

keting team. The sales representa-tive that Nick liaises with most isSteve Janes, and Nick adds, “Steveis very good at keeping in touch:he puts a lot of effort in!”

Initially, Guild Anderson out-sourced all of its CNC work. Al-though the service was prompt,there were clear advantages interms of cost and time in bringingthe service in house. “We are com-pletely bespoke, so every carcaseis different,” commented Nick. Heaims to get as much work onto theCNC as possible and is also lookingforward to exploring the Profit H22’s capabilities in producingmore complex products. “Curvedcabinets raise particular problems,and the only way to make them ef-ficiently is on the CNC.”

Nick visited W8 in October 2008and spoke to a variety of manu-facturers, including Felder. He pro-duced a shortlist of three, all of

whom had come highly recom-mended: and although he waskeen to buy at this point, the ef-fects of the recession meant hehad to wait. “Business is good now,and this has given us the confi-dence to move forward,” says Nick.

As the economic climate im-proved, Nick resumed his investi-gations into CNC. After carefulconsideration, and attending theFelder In-House show at MiltonKeynes in March, Nick selected theProfit H 22 from Felder. “When itcame down to the detail, at theamount of money we wanted tospend, Felder offered the bestpackage,” says Nick.

“There are three elements youneed to look at when selecting aCNC: the machine itself, the soft-ware and the support. Takingthese in reverse order, Felder has agood UK presence, and the soft-ware is easy to use and delivers

the level of sophistication requiredfor what we want to do. With re-gards to the machine, what Felderoffered that the other two finalistsdidn’t was the fact we could installa C axis later: and that was crucialas it saved me having to spendmoney now but did not restrict usin the future.”

The Profit H 22 CNC offered Nicka winning combination. “We had acertain amount of money we feltwe could afford on a monthly basisand we had to stick to our budget.This machine fell within ourbudget and specification.

“We went for a pod & rail ma-chine versus a matrix bed to giveus the flexibility to do curved com-ponents and more solid woodmachining.”

The Profit H 22 CNC machiningcentre is one of nine CNC ma-chines produced by the FelderGroup. With a working area of

3,060 mm x 1,260 mm, it can copeeasily with large workpieces.

Set-up is quick, thanks to thehose-free vacuum system, whichis simple to operate and adaptsquickly to the workpiece size andshape, utilising a variety of differ-ent suction pad shapes and sizes.Feeding rails ensure easy loadingand unloading of workpieces.

The Profit H22 is packed withfeatures designed to ensure thatwork is carried out to the higheststandards of accuracy. The drillinghead boasts 14 vertical drill spin-dles and six horizontal drill spin-dles, as well as an integrated slotcutter in the X-axis.

A variety of options in the vac-uum pods, the drilling head andthe tool changer ensure that eachmachining centre is designedspecifically for the needs of the in-dividual customer.

Nick speaks very highly of thetraining offered by Felder. “Threedays’ training was included in thepurchase price. We spent two daysat Milton Keynes, and then we hada day on site here a few weekslater, which was a good way to doit, as we had come up with a lot ofother questions! The training wasvery good: it was much moreabout day to day operation thanabout writing programmes.”

He continues, “One thing wehave always been very sure aboutis we don’t have a dedicated CNCoperator: we want the machine tobe like all the other machines inthe workshop where, with care,anyone can go and use it. The useof the machine is not that daunt-ing once you get to grips with it. Ifound it very easy as I used to bein software, while our two-year ap-prentice, Steve Joyce, has taken toit like a duck to water.”

Asked if he would recommendthe Profit H 22 CNC to others, Nickresponded: “Absolutely: I wouldn’thesitate to. The software and sup-port distinguish it.”

He continues, “Overall, it hasbeen an excellent experience: themachine was delivered quicklyand on time, and Felder has beenvery good to deal with.”

“Guild Anderson is a highly rep-utable company producing topquality kitchens and we are de-

lighted to be selected to meetGuild Anderson’s CNC machiningrequirements,” says Felder salesrepresentative, Steve Janes.

Felder will be present at W10,where the team will be very happyto talk to you about your require-ments. Visit them on stands 6C380and 6C395.Felder Group UKTel 01908 635000Email info@ukfelder.co.ukwww.felder-group.co.uk

A Guild Anderson kitchen recently installed in Ibiza. Every project Guild Anderson works results in a unique creation.

Nick Anderson and Felder product specialist, Steve Janes, with Guild Anderson’s Profit H 22 CNC.

Nick Anderson is looking forward to exploring the Profit H 22’scapabilities in producing complex products.