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Based in Saint-Jean-de-Bournay (Isère), half an hour south of Lyon and close to the major highways, the new location for Wood-Mizer France welcomed customers and the curious at heart to come over the course of two days to meet the new team and to discover the brand’s product range.
New buildings, new team
With a big smile, Tizoc Chávez, the Office Manager for France, welcomed visitors and long-time customers, supported by additional team members from Wood-Mizer’s European headquarters in Poland. Tizoc is determined to strengthen Wood-Mizer’s support for customers and the woodworking industry in France after several years of difficulty after the crisis.
“We still have a lot of work to do to grow in France! Our open house event is a perfect opportunity to formally introduce our new branch to the French market,” shares Tizoc Chávez, “Our customers must know we are here to support them and provide them with the solutions and the technical support they need.”
The new French branch is well supported by the European headquarter with logistics and technical assistance. He also says that it “is just a question of time before the team grows and we can deliver the training and the after-sale service that is experienced as the standard for the Wood-Mizer brand across the world.”
The product range
One of the goals of the open house event was to familiarise customers and prospective clients with Wood-Mizer's team and extensive line of machinery.
Blade maintenance units (BMS250 and BMS500 sharpeners and BMT100 and BMT300 tooth setters) were running inside the company warehouse while three sawmills were demonstrated for visitors outdoors.
Visitors had the opportunity to get hands-on with the powerful LT70, and see for themselves the ease of use and cut quality of this high capacity sawmill, equipped with 600mm's blade wheels and double block blade guides.
An LT20B, with a Kubota 22HP diesel engine, was also demonstrated. Its owner – Thomas Scott, a carpenter and joiner in Chamonix (74) – was kind enough to attend the demonstrations for the two days, as he was also looking for tips for using this particular model that is often used with bed extensions in order to allow for sawing multiple logs end-to-end.
Lastly, a partially assembled LT10 was available for visitors to try out. Recently equipped with an electric power up and down system, this sawmill comes standard with an electric engine of 5.5kW and offers a cutting capacity for diameters up to 70cm. It is of course intended for small cutting volumes. The LT10 and LT15 are usually sold with some assembly required so that shipping prices can be kept to a minimum. Claude Vion, a master joiner in Chalautre-la-Grande (77), recently bought a LT10 and is awaiting its delivery. During the demonstrations, he was able to see how the machine goes together.
Sharing of knowledge and culture
This open house was carried out in a warm and friendly atmosphere, with traditional Polish foods such as Kashanka (a traditional grilled sausage), smalec (pâté with lard) and Polish pickles, brought directly from the European headquarter in Poland. A nail hammering contest resulted in several visitors winning prizes and many laughs!
Visitors shared their thoughts freely – sharing their satisfaction and experienes with their sawmills, or sharing tips and tricks on blade maintenance and how to obtain a smooth cut. Both professionals and amateurs from all over the country (Carcassonne, Provins, Tarbes…) returned home enriched with new knowledge about sawmilling in France and beyond.
Wood-Mizer's team would like to thank everyone that visited.
