Since Go Fast Manufacturing launched the NXL single-head notcher in 2017, the popularity of the company’s notcher line has continued to grow rapidly.
The line has expanded to include the NXL-M manual single-head notcher as well as the Twin NXL double-head notcher. Customers have come to appreciate the throughput, safety features and durability of the Go Fast products. Additionally, Go Fast benefits from its relationship with Profile Technology, which supplies the superior cutting expertise that customers have come to expect.
“John and David (Lieber) are great to work with,” said Kevin Wieser, managing partner and machine designer for Go Fast. “I’ve never given David a profile of a notch that he couldn’t engineer for our customers’ requirements.”
Some of those customers include Conner Industries, which has purchased five NXL units, Arizona Recycling Pallets, which recently bought an NXL-M, and Blue Sky Opportunities, which has taken delivery of a Twin NXL double-head notcher. These customers share their stories about why Go Fast notchers have been the right solution for them.
Conner Industries Adds Five Go Fast Notchers to Company Operations in Multiple States
Fort Worth, Texas-based Conner Industries, Inc. celebrated its 40th anniversary in November 2021. The company specializes in supplying cut lumber (softwoods, hardwoods and panel products) needed for pallets and transportation packaging, fully assembled custom pallets, crates, and integrated packaging solutions, as well as a wide variety of services tailored to client needs. With 14 plant locations in Texas, Oklahoma, Kansas, Nebraska, Tennessee, Virginia, South Carolina, Georgia, Alabama and Florida, Conner has enjoyed substantial and accelerating growth in both its Industrial Lumber and Integrated Packaging Divisions.
When it comes to notchers, Go Fast has become a popular solution for the company, with the acquisition of five NXL single-head notchers over the last few years, placing them in five different Conner plants. The Go Fast NXL single-head notcher is a compact, heavy-duty, and safe machine with a capacity of up to 800 stringers per hour.
“I was in the market to replace an end-of-life machine that had been identified as a safety hazard,” recalled Kevin Abbott, director of engineering for Conner Industries, in explaining his research prior to buying the company’s first Go Fast. “We wanted to get rid of the old machine and replace it with something a little more up to date, and with better controls.”
Abbott explored his options and landed on Go Fast. “From a price standpoint, everyone’s pretty similar,” he said. “If you compare spec for spec, Go Fast processes more boards per hour, they have the top clamp, and just good safety aspects as far as keeping operators safe and out of harm’s way. So, it makes sense from both a safety and price standpoint.”
The company does have high speed double-head notchers at some of its larger plants, Abbott noted, however, the problem is that those units are generally length constrained, especially in the older equipment. For longer pallets, that is an issue. “So that pretty much dictates you have to do them on a single-head machine,” he said. “And once you go on a single, the question becomes how many boards can you put in and how fast is the cycle?” The answer was Go Fast.
Abbott appreciates the reliability of the Go Fast notchers and the support of the Go Fast staff, including Kevin Wieser in machine design, and Kevin Kaufman in sales. “Honestly, with all our locations, I don’t need phone calls about broken equipment, and I don’t get phone calls. So, that makes it an easy decision.”
Arizona Recycling Pallets: “The Worst Job is Now Liked”
Kalet Balcazar had worked around the pallet industry for many years before launching Arizona Recycling Pallets LLC about three years ago. At first, the small Phoenix company focused on pallet recycling before shifting completely to custom new pallet manufacturing, which has provided greater profitability. As with most young companies, financing was a challenge. Luckily, they found a lumber broker that helped them finance new lumber purchases to support their new pallet business. Ease of financing also played a role in their decision to go with Go Fast for both notcher and chop saw.
The family-run business operates on a three-quarter acre parcel with a 20,000-square-foot covered structure. The company currently produces specialty pallets up to 150 inches in length, which is no problem for notching, given its recently acquired NXL-M notcher from Go Fast Manufacturing. The NXL-M features a safety pop-up gate that ensures the sliding table cannot be moved until the operator presses a push button to initiate the cycle. Another benefit of the NXL-M is that it can be upgraded to become a semi-automatic notching machine, considerably increasing production in the future.
Initially, Balcazar purchased an older notcher that he found online, but it turned out to be a big headache. “It wasn’t very good,” he said. “There were splinters flying all around. He could not be happier with the NXL-M. “It is really smooth,” he continued. “What took someone all day to do in a whole day with the old notcher now just takes three hours.” He said that it was previously the worst job, but now staff likes it.
One of the attractions of working with Go Fast was the ease of financing, which was much appreciated by Balcazar. He followed up the notcher acquisition with the purchase of a Go Fast CS-24 chop saw.
Barry Massinger, Go Fast sales specialist, explained, “For Arizona Recycling, our financing specialist Ian Liddell found them the best solution available to get them the machines they needed. They financed the first and a very short time later financed a second machine.”
Go Fast also has several relationships with banks and finance companies to facilitate payment for customers. Talking about options, Massinger stated, “Some are offering no payments for 90 days and reduced payments while machines are being built.”
Asked about what separates his company from other pallet shops in the area, Balcazar stressed his commitment to great service and in paying good wages. By switching to new custom pallets, he could set prices rather than with 48×40, where prices are largely set by the marketplace. “A lot of people will make the pallets really cheap because they pay their workers the minimum wage,” he said. “We don’t let that happen at our company.”
Blue Sky Opportunities: Safety Features a Key Consideration
When Blue Sky Opportunities Inc. experienced difficulties in purchasing notched stringers in the tight lumber market of 2021, it decided to take control of the situation by purchasing its own notcher.
To take a step back, Blue Sky Opportunities is a long-serving Altona, Manitoba-based non-profit organization committed to maximizing the independence of adults with intellectual disabilities, through employment and residential opportunities within the community. First launched in 1954, Blue Sky continues to provide a variety of services, including recycling and the manufacturing of wood products, including pallets and crates.
Like some other wood pallet producers, the organization had its wood product roots in wood ladder manufacturing. As wood ladders became phased out over time, however, the company turned to wood pallet and crate production as one of its key product areas. It produces around 280 pallets daily in its woodwork department. Program participants are guided by staff members in the cutting of pallet components, while staff members undertake the assembly of pallets, given the complexities of ISPM 15 compliance. Blue Sky is a CWPCA member and is a participant in the CFIA HT program.
Historically, Blue Sky purchased notched stringers, but given recent and ongoing lumber supply issues, notched stringers are not consistently available. As a result, the group opted to start notching in-house to increase its flexibility in material sourcing. After evaluating options, they decided upon a Twin NXL notcher from Go Fast. The Twin NXL is a heavy-duty double-head pneumatic manual notcher designed to fill the gap between entry-level single-head pneumatic notchers and high-end, high-production, and expensive, auto-feed double-head notchers. One of the attractions of the Twin NXL was the simplicity of use and safety features, according to Curt Hildebrand, production manager for Blue Sky Opportunities.
Being a non-profit, Blue Sky takes a slightly different approach in financing their new equipment purchases. Usually, the group holds two fundraising events annually to raise money to help fund its operations, but COVID-19 prevented those fundraisers from happening since the outbreak of the pandemic. To raise money for the Go Fast notcher, Blue Sky had to instead call its regular donors to ask for their support.
Aside from pallets and crates, the organization also produces wood products including crokinole boards, clothes dryers, custom woodwork, fencing, and furniture construction.
According to Richard Neufeld, general manager for Blue Sky, the woodshop had a record year in 2020. Crokinole board sales were four times higher than normal, and pallet sales also hit a record high. They were forced to turn away a lot of new business due to material and production limitations. With high cost and low availability of wood, Neufeld said they were forced to be “ingenious” to maintain a supply of wood to meet demand. One of those bright ideas was the purchase of their Go Fast notcher.
“Overall, we are very happy with the Twin NXL,” concluded Hildebrand. “It works as advertised. It’s been everything that we were told it was. And Kevin Kaufman, the salesman that I dealt with, he was fantastic.”
Go Fast Expands Production Capacity to Keep Up with Demand
As support for the Go Fast line grows, the company continues to add capacity to meet demand. In 2020 it moved into a significantly larger facility, adding four Axis CNC mill machines, a CNC lathe, a CNC plasma table and an indexable steel cutting bandsaw.
Fast forward a year later and Go Fast has added approximately 2500 square feet of new offices within the facility, as well as acquiring a second building next door. Meanwhile, the company has expanded from 15 to 25 employees and has added more shop equipment and upgrades.
“The most exciting additions are in the milling department,” stated Kevin Wieser, managing partner, and machine designer, “where we added several more machines including an additional 4-axis CNC mill with a robot that will be able to load and operate the machine.”
In addition to the NXL line featured in this article, Go Fast continues to offer its high production 2NX chain fed notcher, one of its top-selling machines. It recently made a sale for a 4-head 2NX and will be launching its in-line 2NXP notcher in 2022. The machine will be equipped with an optional SMART touch-screen panel and phone app. You will be able to monitor things such as board count and run time, adjust the machine with the push of a button, and quickly diagnose faults.
