How we opened up new markets
The Grain Sandblasted Sign Company is proud to be Europe’s market leader in three dimensional wooden sign systems. The exclusive signs they manufacture are produced from the finest quality materials available and are made to stand the test of time.
Wooden signs convey a strong sense of environmental awareness, but most importantly a quality image that is sensitive to the aesthetic of every business. All wood used comes from sustainable forests.
Co-directors Peter and Sam Ratcliffe, a father and son team, are passionate about their heritage in sign manufacture. Immensely proud with an exacting attention to detail, their craftsmanship is clearly reflected by the customers they attract, dealing with some of the top names in the leisure, retail and entertainment industries.
“We already had a CNC router but needed something more heavy duty with a larger bed in order to transfer our creative designs into the finished products which our customers deserved” explained Peter. “The very nature of our business means that we need to produce bespoke items very quickly, using bigger and thicker substrates. The guys at Delcam recommended the Klever, which we went to see in action at Biesse’s Daventry Tech Centre and it ‘ticked all the boxes’ as far as we were concerned.”
“We also had severe space constraints as the machine needed to be installed under a mezzanine floor with just 2.35M of headroom. The Klever was one of the few machines which could accommodate this with the required extraction”. The visit to Daventry also reinforced their decision to buy Biesse. “We were impressed by Biesse’s investment and commitment to the UK. It was also great to meet the spares and front line support teams, which really filled us with confidence”.
We were impressed by Biesse’s investment and commitment to the UK. It was also great to meet the spares and front line support teams, which really filled us with confidence.
Peter Ratcliffe - Director
In terms of performance “the machine’s reliability is excellent and on the one occasion when we experienced downtime (which was only a trip), we had an engineer on site the next morning. Being based in Cornwall, we can’t fault the service.”
The major benefit is that The Grain can now achieve 3D milling. “It’s opened up new markets for us. We can now 3D mill MDF and HDU which has definitely contributed to winning additional business. The Klever has been well worth the investment. The machine has paid for itself just in terms of reliability and speed”.