By Paul Dunwell, writing for EasyFrame
© Copyright EasyFrame 2019
What this article is about
In mid-May EasyFrame took delivery of an incredible bit of kit: a state-of-the-art machine that automates important parts of the framing process. It effectively eliminates measuring and cutting errors, so customers receive finished jobs made with a 'zero tolerance' approach to accuracy.
Here Rob Zanna, partner at EasyFrame, explains how the A + AUTOMATION T2400 is helping the business up its game again. In the process he offers some fascinating insights into the errors that can creep into framing and catch out the unwary amateur.
A history of working with the Italian supplier
The sizeable T2400, shipped from Italy in its own wagon, is not the first machine EasyFrame has bought from A + AUTOMATION. It replaces another market-leading tool the business had used for years. Zanna, himself of Italian origin though his accent doesn't betray it, says the predecessor was a superb machine, though not as infallible as its replacement has already proved.
Having just parted with a hefty £30,000 for a single machine in a factory full of them, he is already eyeing the next generation from the same supplier. This sort of capital investment is unavoidable if EasyFrame is to stay at the top of the pile.
What the T2400 does
A + AUTOMATION has cannily combined three things in one device:
- A double mitre saw
- A power kit addition
- An auto-gauge
In simple terms, in the hands of an alert operator the T2400 does a vastly more accurate job than the most skilled artisan could with hand tools. It takes each moulding, measures the rebate and cuts it to any length, ordinarily allowing 2mm for the glass to drop in during assembly.
Putting himself in the frame
Zanna demonstrated the machine himself, with the easy air of a manager not so far removed from the shop floor that he can't operate any machine with confidence. The wooden mouldings he was using, he explained, were no real test.
"The T2400 can also cut plastic or aluminium." He waves towards the vast stock of mouldings lining the walls, reflecting the almost infinite variety of taste EasyFrame must cater for. "It takes only a few minutes to swap over the saw-blades. But the process is simple."
Killing the power and opening the safety cabinet, he points out the curious configuration of the teeth he is using to cut wood, and invites me to run my eyes and fingers over the result. It is sheer perfection. If there's a flaw, I cannot detect it. Gone are the days when you could drive a coach and horses through the gaps in picture frames. Now there's not enough room for a cigarette paper. Not with EasyFrame, anyhow.
Keeping up with customer expectations
Customer expectations clearly preoccupy Zanna, who is proud of what the business has achieved but aware of the risk of resting on its laurels.
"In a sense the T2400 is a purchase that's as necessary as our great new website and our perennial investment in SEO. Like them this new machinery gives us an edge", he says. "It's not a luxury, despite the cost, but a commitment we have had to make to keep up with customer demand. Customers are no fools. They know that some of us can now work to this level of perfection, because such machines are rare but we're not unique in having one, and they see the results that it produces are markedly better. This is important when they're making an investment not only in whatever they wish to hang but the frame itself. So they want results, at affordable prices, which reflect the tolerances that 21st century tooling can achieve. We make our money back by increasing customer satisfaction and, in the hands of well-trained people, by being able to accelerate production so the investment is cost-effective."
Where can it all go wrong?
To put this precision in perspective, Zanna answered the question: how hard can measuring be?
"Over the years I have lost count of customers who have innocently given us the wrong measurements to work to and then wondered what's gone wrong. People have used cloth tapes which are notoriously inaccurate. And they've even put them through the washing-machine without realising how cloth will shrink so that everything they then measure appears to be bigger!"
He laughs, as anyone would, but he is sympathetic. We all make mistakes.
"But measurement is a minefield", he says. "Look at this steel tape. It has a fairly wobbly end anyway, and that could allow an error of a millimetre or more to creep in. If you're doing a DIY job then you'd be best to measure everything from the 20mm mark. So you avoid using the end. And then subtract 20mm from the total length."
"So you have to always measure twice and cut once. But, there again, you can just give the entire job - with the artwork, too, so that we can measure it - straight to EasyFrame. We won't bungle it. Though, if we did, it would be at our own cost. Anyone who's ever accidentally made a hash of a job, and then had to write off the cost of their materials as well as all their time, will appreciate that!"
Conclusion
EasyFrame doesn't muck around, and the T2400 is proof of that.
If you are framing something precious, it's always worth going straight to a professional framer like EasyFrame for advice. They can do the whole job or help with the part that has left you jittery, and can supply much of what you need to do it yourself, from heavy-duty hooks and hangers to picture mounts and frames.
EasyFrame is on 01234 856 501 and sales@EasyFrame.co.uk.