GERMANY - Weinig machines are renowned for their outstanding long-term quality and enjoy a strong reputation even in a used condition. New and existing customers alike appreciate them as price worthy entry-level machines.
Following the expansion of the Weinig Pre-owned Machine Exchange on the Internet, these high-quality secondhand products are experiencing a real boom. Almost 200 machines were sold in 2015, with planers and molders accounting for the lion's share. However, as a complete provider for solid wood and panel processing, Weinig covers the entire process chain. This includes tool grinding machines, window centers, cutting solutions and finger jointing lines.
The technology for panel processing is gaining increasing importance in the product range of the Weinig Classic Shop. This means that products from Holz-Her, the specialists for panel processing, are increasingly in demand in Weinig’s pre-owned machines business.
A dedicated product unit is responsible for professional handling and customer care at Weinig’s headquarters in Tauberbischofsheim. In the workshop, preserving the “inner values” has a clear priority over optical retouching. “Weinig spares no cost or effort when it comes to disassembling machines entirely and rebuilding them from scratch”, underlines Jürgen Michel, director of the product unit Pre-owned Machines. As part of the overhaul, Weinig replaces defective parts and also focus strongly on prevention in order to avoid unnecessary service cases. In addition, Weinig adapts machines to specific customer requirements, if needed.
Despite the high demand, Jürgen Michel is not worried about potential shortages in supply. Around 80,000 Weinig machines are in use worldwide. And even the very old ones have a future: “In view of Weinig quality, the question of whether to scrap or overhaul old machines doesn’t even arise”, the specialist says. Often the machines entering the Classic Shop are trade-ins from the new machines business. Still intensive market observation forms an integral part of everyday work in Weinig’s product unit Pre-owned Machines. Its specialists buy pre-owned machines and, upon customer request, search for machines matching certain criteria.
