Daltons Wadkin, the United Kingdom distributor and manufacturer of industrial woodworking machinery, is expanding its showroom.

The move, taken due to the ongoing absence of trade shows across the U.K., will allow the business to deliver deeper machine demonstrations for customers, both in-person and virtually. 

The expansion of space, which will fully comply with all COVID-19 requirements and regulations, will house a range of new, bigger, machines. This will include Salvador automatic crosscut saws, Kimla CNC routers, Elcon vertical panel saws as well as more traditional machinery from SCM.

Despite the effects of COVID-19, the Nottingham-based company ended the last calendar year strongly, doing so with many of its brands posting improved sales that were nearly 50 percent better compared to 2019. 

That success has also allowed Daltons Wadkin to recently employ five new members of staff across areas that continue to experience growth, including training, workshop fitting, and CNC support. 

“The showroom has always been a very important part of what we offer customers,” said Alex Daltons, director at Daltons Wadkin. “We’re not just about box shifting. We like to discuss each customer’s unique requirements and make sure they’re getting the right product that is going to suit their needs. 

“The showroom and demonstration facility we have is key to that and has continued to be during this pandemic. 

“With that success, this rejig will allow us to offer more to customers when it comes to demonstrations. The machines we show are quite demanding when it comes to space and with the ongoing absence of trade shows, it’s even more important than ever for us to be able to offer this facility.”

After originally closing in March 2020, when the U.K. was placed under its original national lockdown, Daltons Wadkin also ceased operating and closed its doors for approximately six weeks. 

The business returned in the middle of May, doing so only after implementing several stringent measures that would allow it to do so safely, both for its employees that could only work from the firm and customers.

That included in the showroom, ensuring that potential customers across the manufacturing sector could continue to watch machine demonstrations in a safe manner. One of the services the business enhanced came in the form of video demos, which allowed customers that did not feel safe travelling to the showroom to be able to book a personal online demonstration.

Speaking about how Daltons Wadkin’s commitment to delivering a safe environment for customers to visit, Alex Dalton said: “Our showroom is a big and wide space and we have got hand sanitizers and surface wipes located throughout it. 

“For customers who want to come to our showroom, that’s something we still encourage but only by appointment so we can control the number of people coming at once. 

“Every customer is also shown our COVID-19 risk assessment and is asked to wash their hands before entering the showroom where they adhere to the two-meter rule. They will then repeat the exercise before leaving.

“COVID-19 has just become another extension of our health and safety requirements and it’s something the team has been able to adapt well to.”