ImagesMagUK_November_2021

www.images-magazine.com NOVEMBER 2021 images 51 EMBROIDERY Arden Winch & Co: Six-Head SWF from YES Zoe Barker, embroidery supervisor Tell us a bit about your business Arden Winch was formed in 1812; it now supplies head-to-toe PPE, janitorial supplies, uniforms and workwear, and we have our own logo facility, which consists of 44 embroidery heads and five compression heat seal logo machines. We have our head office in Sheffield as well as a fully stocked branch in Nottingham. What is the latest embroidery machine you’ve bought, and how much did it cost? We purchased a new, straight six-head SWF machine in November 2020 for delivery in March 2021. The cost was £40,000. Why did you choose the new SWF machine? We originally looked at a number of different manufacturers when we first started doing our own embroidery. At the time, SWF was the only company who did an eight-head machine that could be split into two lots of four- heads. It gave us the flexibility to do two different logos on the same machine at the same time. That first machine was very reliable and we built a strong relationship with YES, which is why we decided to stay with the SWF brand of machine as we grew and added more machines. We already had six separate SWF machines [when we bought the new six-head]; the machines have never let us down and we get very good service from YES. Is there anything you’d like to see in an upgrade or don’t particularly like about it? It would be good if there was a quicker and easier way to change from standard frames to cap frames. Also, if the machine could hold more threads it would save a lot of time on each order because there would be less chance that a thread change would need to be done. What’s it like to use? All our SWF machines are really quick and easy to use. We have found the best way to make the most out of it and keep a good flow of production with minimal stops or breaks is to keep it at a reasonable speed, and if logos are a bit more intricate then we slow it down slightly. What type of work does it do? We do a lot of workwear, school uniform and universities, which all range in different sizes of orders and logo stitch count. Most orders we do have a logo that ranges from 2,000 stitches to anything up to 30,000 stitches. What would you say to others thinking of buying an embroidery machine? My advice would be to research which machine would be best for the type of work you want to do. There are many options including different size machines, touchscreen machines and split-head machines. Consider the amount of production you’re aiming for and what will work best for you. www.ardenwinch.com Zoe Barker highlights good service from YES and the reliability of the SWF machines