The power of 3

In this month’s edition of LCN, Bob Mills, chief executive of Cherry Tree Machines talks about the exclusive partnership the business has with brands Lapauw and Lavatec, the company’s commitment and on-going investment in training engineers, the guarantees customers can expect from Cherry Tree and the need for people to be aware of copycat, non-certified low quality machines and parts.

Quality brands working together

Cherry Tree Machines has an exclusive UK and Ireland partnership with Lapauw and Lavatec, which means it is the only company to be able to offer all three brands under one roof, but: “Why is this so important and why should consumers buy from us?” asks Mills.

Why Cherry Tree?

“Firstly, Cherry Tree is the most established provider of industrial laundry equipment in the UK and has been serving the industry since 1882. Add this value of experience to the on-going investment in training and engineers, an extensive portfolio of machines both new and used from reputable brand names such as Lapauw, Lavatec – and Sealion – and a guaranteed level of service, means customers get the best trained staff and the best products on the market.

“We have parts off-shelf availability and we guarantee our work, unlike some competitors. Many independent engineers call us for free repair advice and just like other industries many independents are fitters who don’t provide a guarantee, costing customers much more in the long term,” says Mills.

“Recently, Cherry Tree Laundry Solutions has announced a competitive like for like repair price reduction, guaranteeing to beat any price by 15%. To benefit from this, customers need to provide a quotation, which should include hidden mileage charges and call out costs.”

Why Lapauw?

“Secondly, Lapauw produces without doubt some of the best ironers in the world, our customers tell us. It’s not all about price but quality of the finish and speed of production and you will certainly achieve this,” says Mills.

Lapauw Ironers are made in Belgium which has always been the hub of manufacturing for ironers. “At Cherry Tree we have close relationships with the manufacturers and stock their range of ironers here in the UK. All our engineers are trained on-site at Lapauw, which means not only do our customers get the best ironers but they are also guaranteed a quick 24/7 response and a quality repair service from our skilled engineers.

“It’s a proven case that Lapauw products are the cheapest vs life term products on the market. Lapauw products have been copied by other brands but you will find the controls on other brands are not up to the same quality. The main difference is the bed of the ironers they are rigid and not problematic like the flexible beds on offer. These tend to split and cost many £10,000’s to repair and you lose production - why chance it?

“Some of the largest laundries in the country are now changing to Lapauw products,” concludes Mills.

Why Lavatec?

“Thirdly, Lavatec machines are renowned for their quality and durability. Manufactured in Germany, you only need to see how many Lavatec machines and products are still operating and going strong after many years in industrial laundries, throughout not just the UK but the world. That proves that the machines are made to last which means these are the most cost-effective products for life term. “At Cherry Tree we offer a full range of Lavatec products including washing machines, dryers, presses and extractors and we are the only Lavatec genuine parts suppliers in the whole of the UK and Ireland,” Mills continues.

“There are many low quality copy parts on the market, admittedly cheap, but they do not last so you end up paying twice and again losing productivity.”

“By combining the qualities and attributes of these three leading brands, at Cherry Tree we can offer our customers guaranteed high quality, durable, productive, machines supported by a reputable, genuine and accredited service,” says Mills.

INVESTING IN AND TRAINING OUR ENGINEERS

Cherry Tree has achieved exceptional growth over the past five years to become a world leading supplier. “We are investing in our future and believe in investing in our people,” says Mills.

He continues: “It’s of paramount importance that we offer an accredited and reliable service to our network of customers, who rely heavily on us to keep their industrial laundries operating. As well as offering a 20% discount on our preventative maintenance, at Cherry Tree we are continuously investing in the training and development of our team, throughout even our busiest of times.

“Along with product training from our partners, our team of trained engineers are ACOP and Gas Safe Accredited. They also have 18th edition electrical passes, which is proof of the value we put into the correct training. Our customers can be confident that their machines are in the best of hands and that any issues will be resolved as professionally and effectively as possible.

“We have also recently appointed a team of apprentices on the National Apprenticeship Scheme. These first four apprentices will be taken through our in-house training from October this year and will also be trained by our partners to become qualified engineers, who can deliver the Cherry Tree service guarantee in years to come.

“Recently investing in larger property in Chelmsford we have also expanded our warehouses to over 70,000 square feet and we are currently looking to triple the size of our Blackburn operations”.

Looking to join our team?

“We’re always looking for experienced and good team members at Cherry Tree, so if anyone is an experienced engineer, either employed or self-employed and is looking for a new opportunity or role with a steady, regular income, please feel free to contact us. We offer the best rates of pay in the market!”

Our guarantees and promises

“At Cherry Tree we can offer our customers a whole host of guarantees. We appreciate that our customers now, more than ever, need a 24/7, reliable and effective service. “That’s why we offer:

• A guarantee on machinery buy back – we will buy back any of your old machines! And will also take your own machines away and welcome any trade in
• A guarantee to beat any repair quote – We will beat any like for like repair machine quote by a minimum of 15%
• A guaranteed two years parts and labour warranty on new machines – guaranteed on call out time that’s double most offer
• Guaranteed back up and off shelf parts
• A guarantee on the best prices in the market – on like for like deals

Beware of cheap alternatives

Bob Mills has always been at the sharp end and customer facing and has seen a big growth in imported machinery. Many of which has no back up support from the seller and the quality is substandard with dubious CE certification. “We know this,” says Mills, “as many machines have many safety features missing or not fitted. “Our engineers are seeing more and more copy non- certified, low-quality machines being sold on the market and installed in industrial laundries. Although we can totally appreciate that these might appear to be a ‘good deal’ with a low price at the time and a cheaper alternative, we can’t stress enough the high costs you will incur in the long run installing these machines. They are unreliable and of course sourcing parts and back-up for these kind of machines is very difficult, often impossible,” says Mills.

“At Cherry Tree you can guarantee that our machines are genuine, quality and CE certified, providing best value for money in the longer term.”

A new concept…

“Cherry Tree has recently completed a partnership deal to offer all our customers a new economy brand to compete with cheap imports. However, as a company and an original manufacturer of machinery, we will internally CE certify products by adding all safety features required in our works in Blackburn.

“Most manufacturers of machinery are based in either China or Eastern Europe, to reduce cost, some examples are Primus, Alliance, Jensen and Lavamac. As a natural progression we, too, have sourced and are building in our partner factory in China, a full range of economy machinery. Sold at incredible prices – these are priced to sell but the life span is reduced, allowing us to cover all markets.

“A preventative maintenance package when buying a machine will ensure we can take care of any wear and tear on the components,” concludes Mills.