Cutting Edge

2021 has been great for Woodscape, with sales and manufacturing running at the highest level in our 40 year history, and that success has been reflected in investment, with over £300,000 injected into machinery acquisition and personnel training. Already an industry leader, being one of only 6 companies in the UK to utilise a 5-axis CNC in our timber manufacturing process, October 2021 sees us take another stride ahead of the competition by introducing a second 5-axis CNC machine. With its streamlined design, this improved Homag CNC allows us to manipulate 20% larger timbers, while the smaller heads allow for more intricate movement and detailing. Automated tool alignment accurate to 0.01mm ensures accurate replication of our designs every time. Here you can see both the pre-manufacture simulation alongside an early test piece going through the new CNC, this ability to simulate the cutting and shaping process in real-time allows for fine-tuning without any material wastage. Bringing this additional CNC capacity into our factory is not without its challenges, and we are re-working our entire workshop floor to optimise our workflow and ensure everything is working at maximum efficiency and capacity. Undertaking this project would be challenging even without the effects of Covid-19 lingering, so it has been great to see the dedication of our staff enabling us to overcome every obstacle during this difficult time. The Woodscape name is synonymous with bespoke hardwood street furniture, but our adoption of CNC technology has seen us push the limits beyond other manufacturers abilities to produce products that shine in their locations as pieces of urban art, stunning yet with practical application. From our parade of Strata seats outside Birmingham New Street Station, to our undulating centre-piece seating at Peach Place in Wokingham, where you find street furniture unlike any other you will find the Woodscape name. We continue to push the boundaries with schemes such as Whitfield Gardens, where the illuminated seating plays a core role in bringing a local mural back to the community, and the amazing work still underway around Battersea, with the waved design seating with internal lighting channels at Elephant Park is making the venue appear like a fantasy novel brought to life. It’s our pride and pleasure here at Woodscape to provide a service that has allowed all these schemes to push to be different, to give architects the freedom to design the nation however they wish, and with this continued investment from Woodscape, 2021 is just the beginning.

For more information on Cutting Edge talk to Woodscape