Celebrating 60 Years of Business!
The Beatles released their debut album, Doctor Who first appeared on UK TV screens, and the Dartford Tunnel began operating. Those were just a few of the headlines back in 1963.
In the small Northamptonshire boot and shoe town of Kettering, a different headline was being written, that of a new company starting up business in the town. The German manufacturer Trennjaeger had decided to set up a UK office and chose Kettering because of its central location.
The Fleet of Trennjaeger Demonstration & Service Vans
Employing just a handful of staff, they gradually became known as a supplier of high-quality sawing machines. At first their range consisted of friction saws, and then came along the LKH and PMC large circular saws designed for the construction industry.
As time moved on, by the late 60’s Trennjaeger handed over operations, and ultimately the business to its then management, who in due course changed the trading name to Prosaw Limited, with a strap line known throughout the industry to this day, and still emblazoned across the front of their building – The People to See for Saws!
As the business grew, so did the need for new premises and in the early 70’s the company moved from its original works in the town, an old Boot and Shoe works, to a new purpose-built factory on the then new Industrial Estate of Telford Way on the outskirts of town, where the company has continued to operate from up to this day.
The New purpose built factory
During the 70’s and 80’s new technology began to emerge, and the horizontal bandsaw was born. Along with their circular sawing machines, Prosaw began to offer machines from Italy, Germany, Japan and the growing manufacturing country of Taiwan.
Newer and larger premises would give the company additional space for more staff and a growing range of machines. By the mid 80’s Prosaw was once again growing with the addition of further manufacturing space and a dedicated 5,000 sq./ft showroom.
The manufacturing department for handling systems
The increased area allowed for the manufacture of bespoke handling systems to be designed and built and operate alongside the growing number of construction machines being sold. To this day, one of the companies’ strengths is their ability to design and build conveyors, cross transfer lines and completely special equipment for customers’ requirements.
In the showroom, demonstrations could take place on a range of horizontal and vertical bandsaws along with the Trennjaeger saws that had started the business off.
Over time, the increased number of machines being supplied meant the number of engineers to install and carry out servicing also needed to increase from just a couple to a team of more than 10 highly skilled engineers, based across the UK, today.
The Service team in the early 90's
During the late 90’s and early 00’s the ownership changed for the fourth time, with further management buy outs. With this new management, the range of equipment continued to expand. Along with steel-working machines, also came the addition of aluminium equipment. Both additions opened further opportunities to increase sales to new markets including fabricators of steel and aluminium.
Many of the machines supplied by Prosaw today are from long established relationships with both manufacturers and customers, in the UK and around the world. Today’s range includes manufacturers in more than 10 countries, from Europe, Asia, and the Americas.
Over the companies 60 years of business, the Prosaw ethos has remained one of supplying the world’s finest sawing machines along with associated material handling solutions and equipment.
Who knows where sawing will be in another 60 years, but one thing is for sure that Prosaw will always be… “The people to see for SAWS!”