CUTTING COSTS WITH LABOUR SAVING PANELMASTER

The 2024 end-of-year school report for Southam Automation would read:
“Progressing nicely but could do better!”
The past twelve months have been a “mixed bag” for the Warwickshire-based firm, established by business partners Brett Smith and Bob Ball, but they have high hopes for 2025 with the launch of a brand new machine that manufactures sheds and “tweaks” within the management structure.
“I’ve just turned 76 and really need to start thinking about taking a bit of a step back,” explained Brett. *“So my son James has come on board in a full-time capacity to assist in terms of manufacturing and management of the business.
He’s a John Deere-trained engineer who has been working for us on and off over recent years. Now he’s more immersed in our day-to-day activities, and that gives me the chance to enjoy these later years a bit more. I’m still very much involved in the business albeit on a part-time basis.”*
James commented:
*“I understand the industry and the issues faced having spent a large part of my working life in the agriculture and forestry sectors.
Given the recent increases in National Insurance contributions and the living wage, firms will be looking for labour-saving machinery, and our Panelmaster fencing machine ticks all of the boxes in that respect.
Instead of having four employees manufacturing fencing, you can have just one unskilled operative working with the Panelmaster, and it delivers a much larger output.
There’s also the issues of reliability and returns on investment with our machines proven to last many years. The Panelmaster makes sense on so many levels, and there’s many contented customers the length and breadth of Britain that will attest to that.”*
Three of those customers – Malpass Fencing, Main Line Timber, and South London firm Walton Landscapes Supplies – reflect those sentiments perfectly.
“The Panelmaster has transformed our panel manufacturing dramatically, and we’ve had no issues with it from day one. It really is a reliable piece of kit that allows us to easily cope with demand,” explained Tony Malpass of Darwin-based Malpass Fencing.
Edward Gascoigne of Main Line Timber, with outlets near Leamington Spa and Daventry, commented:
“It’s a real workhorse of a machine and just keeps going and going. We’ve had it for four years, and it’s an example of British manufacturing at its best. I really don’t know where we’d be without it.”
Ricky Newsome of Walton Landscape Supplies added:
*“Our Panelmaster is brilliant and really has upped our production capacity. We are now able to cope with spikes in demand from customers as and when the need arises. It’s also allowed us to expand into new markets.
The machine runs seven days a week during the summer months, and I can’t speak highly enough about our Panelmaster.”*
Southam Automation appears to be a real class act that’s going from strength to strength with top marks from a growing range of customers.
For more information, visit:
Email: brett@southamautomation.com
Phone: 07902 789252