Second hand doesn’t have to mean second best
By Wayne Hunter, operations manager, Emmegi (UK).
When it comes to investing in a new CNC or saw, second hand really doesn’t have to mean second best. Our in-house machine refurbishment programme offers fabricators a practical and cost-effective route to Emmegi machinery ownership – and has the advantage that it is a sustainable option as well.
When we take a machine in for refurbishment, it undergoes a complete overhaul by our engineering team that takes anything from four to six weeks. We start with a thorough clean and a full visual and mechanical inspection, before we even connect the power and check the working condition.
Then, any spare parts required are ordered, and we carry out a deep clean before the machine is repainted and the spare parts refitted. Our engineers test and calibrate the machine before despatch, and it is the technician carrying out the installation who will usually carry out the final test in our factory.
There are lots of elements to our service that I think set machines refurbished by Emmegi (UK) apart from the rest – not least the fact that we almost invariably offer a warranty because we have such confidence in the quality of the work we do.
For instance, our specialist engineers are dedicated to Emmegi machines, and have all received training at Emmegi HQ in Italy, so they know all our models inside out. They also have access to machine diagnostics and updates direct from HQ, which more generalist suppliers don’t have, and we can obviously guarantee that all the spare parts we supply are original and genuine.
And crucially, our team also have direct access to the very latest Emmegi software, so they can update and upgrade older machines so that when they are sold, they are arguably even better than they were when they are new.
To give a couple of examples. We recently supplied a refurbished Phantomatic T3A machine to PAS (Premier Aluminium Solutions) in Wallasey to replace a trusty Phantomatic T4 that had given them many years of reliable service. We upgraded the original software on the T3A so that it can now accommodate an external software link and a bar code scanner for the first time.
And for Kyrus in Telford we supplied a fully refurbished Radial double mitre saw to give them the additional cutting capability they needed, and saved them from having to buy a brand new machine.
This type of machine refurbishment is very much in line with the sustainability commitments made by Emmegi (UK) as part of the Voilap group. Together, we are on a journey towards net zero carbon, and, alongside things like 100% renewable energy at our European plants and sustainable packaging, reducing waste is central to that.
The good news is that by refurbishing rather than scrapping machines, Emmegi (UK) saved more than eight tonnes of material waste last year – and gave all those saws and CNCs a new lease of life.
Because Emmegi products are built to last, and fabricators with space often keep their existing machines for additional capacity when they buy a new one, we don’t have a huge supply of previously used machines, but our sales team always have up to date information on incoming stock and can advise on pricing and availability.
