Wilcare Wales on the Rise

Since the commencement of business in 2001, South Wales-based Wilcare Wales has seen extraordinary year-on-year growth, having operated initially from a 500 square feet factory housing just a handful of employees to the present 30,000 square feet facility with a staff of 50. The company has achieved virtual market leadership with its brilliantly designed and engineered electric rise and recline chairs which meet all Class 1 medical devices requirements as defined by the EC Directive 93/42 and which are widely specified in the mobility sector. The company is also CE registered with the MHRA (Medicines & Healthcare Regulatory Agency).

In addition to the production of rise and recline chairs, Wilcare Wales has recently expanded its wood-based offerings with the newly created accentu8 brand of furniture, developed in association with the award-winning furniture designer, Angela Gidden, who now functions as the consultant creative director for the company. Having earlier installed its own wood mill incorporating routers supplied by AXYZ, the company has subsequently expanded its production capacity to accommodate further third-party requirements and most recently gained preferred supplier status with a large manufacturer of wood-based furniture products.

Over 90 per cent of the materials used by the company are locally sourced and Wilcare Wales is one of only a few companies that handles all of the elements of its rise and recline chairs, from the design and construction of the wooden frames to the processing of the fabrics that are used and the sewing and upholstering of the finished chairs. The company also operates a ‘green’ sustainable refurbishment programme.

According to managing director Anthony Kiff, much of the company’s success can be attributed to the performance of the AXYZ routers which have been installed and which have now been supplemented with the purchase of a top-of-the-range AXYZ Twin Head large-format CNC router. Anthony Kiff commented: “As a result of the generous trade-in offer made by AXYZ, it was possible to exchange one of our old AXYZ machines for a brand new higher-performance AXYZ 8016 larger-format router. This has helped speed up production and further enhanced the quality of our work whilst dramatically reducing material wastage.”

The AXYZ Twin Head 8016 is a high-volume and high-performance router with a standard processing width of 103″ and a length of 120″ that is extendable up to 50 feet in increments of 24″. It has a maximum positioning speed of 25m/min with the option of higher speeds if required and gantry clearances of up to 12″ to accommodate thicker materials. Key features of the router include the latest A2MC machine control system that intelligently regulates acceleration and deceleration during the routing/cutting process, the AXYZ SmartConsole that rides alongside the gantry for ease of start-up and a helical rack and pinion drive system. Other optional machine enhancements include a range of collet spindles and drills, direct-drive motors on all three axes, an expanded (up to 33 stations) ATC (Automatic Tool Change) facility, the AXYZ AVS (AXYZ VISION System) for optimum accuracy, a range of knife heads and multiple carriages.

In conclusion, Anthony Kiff stated: “Although AXYZ has been and remains a preferred supplier, we did look at other machines on the market prior to purchasing the AXYZ 8016 but none matched this router in terms of the improved quality and reliability demanded by one of our biggest clients. Furthermore, we have enjoyed a long and successful business relationship with AXYZ and have been particularly impressed with its customer support facilities, reliability and overt commitment to client satisfaction.”

To find out more about the products manufactured by Wilcare Wales, visit their website.