When the machine lands, we are right behind it
Glass Times magazine talks to Kyle Shenton, director of independent machinery service and support specialist, CNC Guru, a company that has also recently won the contract to distribute Protek machinery in the UK.
Glass Times (GT): Can you give us a brief overview of the services you offer?
Kyle Shenton (KS): We offer independent, comprehensive support with service, repairs and spares predominantly with Mecal, Emmegi, Elumatic and now Protek. Whether it’s a dial-in, site visit, or just advice on tooling. We are here to help.
GT: How has the business grown since you first set up? Have you experienced a lot of demand?
KS: The business is growing rapidly, we are receiving new customers every week with sudden waves of breakdowns in between. We have recently started receiving very positive reviews on Google, which is added value to prospective customers scoping for support.
GT: Do you cater to all brands of machinery?
KS: We work predominantly with the brands I’ve already mentioned, however we are open to all machinery within the window, signage, and door industry. It’s often the case while looking at a machine we were booked in for, that we are asked to look at something else while on site. It has ranged from an industrial band saw to modifying an automated infeed table for a rapid production facility.
GT: What can you offer fabricators that they can’t directly get from their machinery supplier/manufacturer?
KS: I am passionate about the service we offer at CNC Guru. I started my working life as an apprentice in a machine shop, and it’s given me a unique understanding of our customers’ perspectives and requirements.
Sure, customers have the option of service plans with manufacturers but do the higher prices mean better service? If this was the case, you wouldn’t have so many independent car garages around the world along with your OEM garages.
Just as with your trusted go-to garage, we offer the same level of service support but at a fraction of the price!
GT: Is there a shortage of machinery engineers in the UK? And if so, why is this?
KS: Absolutely, right across the board. It’s likely to be a result of many reasons but from my perspective, a strong element of this problem is due to the lack of apprenticeships.
Once the apprenticeship rotation skips a few runs, then the pain will be felt down the line, often many years later.
GT: You’ve recently won the contract to supply Protek machinery – can you tell us more about the main USPs of Protek machinery?
KS: Yes, we are really delighted to be given this opportunity. Protek offers Italian quality with lots of customisable features, an attractive price range and fast ROI.
The machines have some really cool features, such as automatic material height detection, modular cutting options which are super easy to swap and change by the customer and nesting optimisation.
They offer robust extraction so that 99% of the cut material is removed, which means no mess!
They offer several features as standard such as automatic tool measuring, a vacuum blocking system, an automatic tool changer and customised Alpha CAM that’s specially adapted for the machines. Most importantly is the after-sales support.
Customers now have the added benefit of support from Protek and CNC Guru.
When the machine lands, we are right behind it!
GT: Are you in a position to offer Protek now?
KS: We are indeed! Typical lead times, dependent on customisation are around 5-7 months but we would always aim to improve this. We are working with Protek constantly on improving supply chains, support, and deliveries.
GT: What are your plans for the company in the short to medium term?
KS: The plan is to grow our partnership with Protek, introduce apprentices and expand the business so that we can begin to grow our abilities to further improve our levels of customer support.
GT: What is your outlook for the industry in the next 12 months? Do you think now is a good time for fabricators to be investing in new machinery?
KS: From what I’ve seen, this industry has always found ways to collaborate to maintain the foundations we all share.
The days of dog-eat-dog are fading owing to the rapid cycles of change we have seen in the last few decades.
We’ve seen Covid, Brexit and now Russia causing ripples of disruption but the spirit of the industry never falters. Fabricators are getting smarter and adapting to the markets quickly.