Felder feels well equipped to handle new, mostly remote ways of doing business. “Most of the systems for connecting to customers during this time have already been established,” said Meredith Luberoff, sales operations. “Online presentations, video conferencing, recorded machine demonstrations, online service support and more. We have also changed our web page to allow customers more options to connect via online chat, or our live demo request options.”

In the wake of IWF’s cancellation, Felder plans special promotions and informational online events for the coming months. The company had three products entered into this year’s Challenger Award competition . “Our PCS (Preventive Contact System) is the first of its kind in the industrial sliding table saw world,” she said. “The system avoids contact with the blade and keeps operators safe. Systems like it already exist but this system will be available on bigger machinery, will not damage the machine and will allow the user to restart the machine in seconds.”

Another new product is the Glue Box system (see video below) that allows customers to run PUR glue on edgebanders without a mess. The third entrant was the Light Pos system, which allows for easier and more accurate positions of pods on point to point CNC machinery. 

“We do have great information available online for these systems so we invite the customer to take a look at www.feldergroupusa.com,” she said.

Felder says the company is ready to assist reopening shops, particularly smaller operations. “Clearly we are looking to offer machinery that can get more done in a faster and more accurate way by reducing the need for manual labor so the small shops can stay as productive as possible,” Luberoff said. “This is what the Felder Group is good at. We are not only talking about automization but also about the small shop owner who simply wants to edge a panel with no need for extra finishing work when it's done. Our new range of Tempora edgebanders answers this question.”

Felder urges customers to consider the long-term value represented by their machines. “The range of standard machines we sell have quality and accuracy not often found on cheaper machines and thus the operator/owner saves time and money because he can trust the results he will be getting,” Luberoff said. “We have continued to expand and rethink machine designs over the last 65 years so we feel like we are always out in front when it comes to making our customers work faster and smarter, no matter what level of machine they buy.”