CHALLENGED
Medalist 870 folder for Nottingham disability employer
Woodfield Industries was set up by Nottingham City Council as an employer of people with varying disabilities, and is involved in a range of manufacturing including workwear and window components, and print finishing. The company's most recent investment for its print finishing section is a Challenge Medalist 870 A3 folding machine from UK agent Terry Cooper Services.
Previously, documents would be folded by hand, but Assistant Print Finishing Manager Dee Webster says an increase in folding workload made the purchase of a semi automatic folder a necessity. "We take on work from non-council sources and have recently gained some new contracts requiring a higher volume of folding," she explains. "The nature of our staff means the machine had to be safe and simple to operate. Training was fast, and our people have not had any problems. They gain valuable experience from operating machinery such as this which helps their employment prospects."
Ms Webster's department is fully equipped to meet a range of tasks including binding, collating, guillotining, drilling and also mailshot management. They finish a range of documents from the council, other local institutions and businesses. "We have to operate within strict rules which prove we're quoting the market rate for external jobs," says Dee. "We also have to follow strict rules when buying equipment, we do a thorough assessment of at least three alternatives, so we are sure the Challenge Medalist 870 is the best folder for us."
Mobility is one of the Medalist 870's plus points according to Ms Webster. "You can wheel it to where it's needed, which helps a lot. It's also compact which is necessary as we're short of space. The main thing is, it does the job, it's fast, accurate and versatile. We also hope to get years of use from it, so it had to be a solid, durable machine." Jokingly she adds, "we also like the colour!"
"Another factor was TCS, who have serviced our equipment here for many years so we were happy to buy our folder from them," she concludes.
Woodfield Industries operates from a 3,000 square metre factory in Nottingham. It has 50 staff, 10 of which are employed in the Print Finishing Department.
Pictured: Dee Webster with the Challenge Medalist 870