Photo: Woodworking
From left: Kyle Roseneck, Jon Luyten, Wes Love, Lee Simpson and Lukasz Walkiewicz.
As Taurus Craco celebrates its 30th anniversary, the company marks not only a milestone in longevity, but also a bold new step in its commitment to the Canadian market. “The opening of our expanded, state-of-the-art facility signals the beginning of an exciting new chapter,” says Wes Love, president and owner.
Taurus Craco Machinery’s new showroom at 278 Orenda Rd, in Brampton, Ontario – right next door to their former home, will be revealed at this year’s Woodworking Technology Days Oct. 22-25.
“This expansion, made possible when we acquired the neighbouring building three years ago, has given us the space to double our operations (from 11,000 sq. ft to 22,000 sq. ft) and serve our customers even better.
“With this expansion, we can offer our customers a more immersive hands-on opportunity to explore a broader range of technologically advanced machinery and learn about our truly unique manufacturing solutions in our showroom,” Love says.
“More than just having a larger footprint, the new facility embodies Taurus Craco’s dedication to delivering enhanced services and a richer customer experience. It represents our ongoing investment in the Canadian woodworking industry and our commitment to staying at the forefront of innovation, quality, and customer support,” Love says. “We are focused on being our customers’ trusted advisor and our showroom and collaborative spaces are a reflection of this commitment to always find ways to add value to our customers’ buinsess.”
Love says: “More than anything, our new space is designed to serve as an incubator for manufacturing excellence. The showroom features cutting-edge technologies that highlight the latest applications in manufacturing. One of the key ways Taurus Craco has also added value for its clients is by functioning as an intermediary between machine manufacturers and woodworking professionals. With a deep understanding of both perspectives, we recognize the needs of woodworking businesses and the capabilities of the machinery we represent.
“We wanted to build a space for creative collaboration between customers, machinery partners, and the teams within Taurus Craco, to facilitate the novel, seamless, effective, and efficient machining systems, but also to better reflect the needs of our Canadian customers, including for cost efficient training and education of their employee operators locally. To that end, our entire facility is designed in such a way that it can be made available to our customers, partners and industry associations for training and educational purposes, or for the hosting by them of meetings or other events.
Unmatched hands-on experience“The facility is designed to provide customers with an unmatched, hands-on experience,” says Jon Luyten, regional sales representative.
“We now have a huge showroom where essential woodworking machines can be seen in action any day of the year offering continuous access to a full array of advanced panel processing and solid wood machinery. CNC’s, edgebanding, feed-through drill and dowel, automated assembly, finishing and packaging equipment will all be in full production. Our complete line of solid wood processing equipment on demonstration includes optimizing rip and crosscut saws, moulders, sanding, texturizing machines and dust collection systems.
Luyten says by offering these demonstrations locally, Taurus Craco can eliminate the need for customers to travel to the U.S. or Europe to see specialty machines in operation. “Instead, they can visit our facility and gain a comprehensive understanding of the equipment right here, making informed purchasing decisions with ease.
“Our goal is to create a more interactive and engaging experience for our customers. They can see cutting-edge machinery in action, ask real-time questions, and even test the equipment with their own materials.”
TC Academy leads the way in operator
training and innovation“Taurus Craco Academy is designed to be the leading training school for operators in the woodworking industry,” says Lee Simpson, vice president, head of service and TC Academy.
“Our mission is to empower professionals with the knowledge and skills they need to excel in machinery operation and safety. With specialized courses covering everything from moulders and profile grinders to edgebanders, wide belt sanders, CNC software and energy management systems to name a few.
“Taurus Craco Academy ensures that operators are equipped to handle the latest technologies with confidence and efficiency.”
“Our training programs are built through strong partnerships with manufacturers, educational institutions, and our extensive industry experience,” adds Love.
“By keeping the focus on in-Canada training, we not only make it easier and more accessible for companies to train their employees, but also allow them to take advantage of government subsidies. This makes operator education more convenient and cost-effective for the woodworking sector.”
TC Academy reflects Taurus Craco’s broader mission to not just sell machinery, but also educate and empower their customers.
“By providing top-tier training, we ensure they have the knowledge and skills to operate their machinery safely and effectively, securing long-term success in their operations,” Simpson says.
“This fall, we’re excited to offer our popular Moulder/Grinder school along with our new Edgebanding 101 and Rip Optimization/Crosscut Optimization courses. These programs are designed to give operators the hands-on skills they need to master these essential woodworking machines. These courses, held in our new academy facility, provide a focused learning environment free from distractions, allowing students to fully immerse themselves in their training. This setup also ensures that customer machinery can remain in full production, without any downtime for training. As a result, students return to their factories ready to hit the ground running and apply their new skills immediately.”
Real-world performance: Höcker 350 Vacumobil system transforms demonstrations“Our showroom is more than just a space to display machines, it’s a fully-functioning industrial wood shop environment,” says Kyle Roseneck, regional sales representative.
“With the Höcker 350 Vacumobil system, we have designed and installed a system where we’re able to demonstrate multiple machines - like CNC routers, sanders, and moulders - running simultaneously. This setup replicates a real-world production facility, allowing our customers to see how these machines perform under actual working conditions.”
Roseneck adds, “What sets our showroom apart is the integration of the Höcker energy management and flow control. By utilizing the systems’ autogate function and VFD speed control, we maximize the performance and energy efficiency.
“Not only do we showcase the machines themselves, but we also demonstrate how to properly configure the necessary utilities for optimal performance, cost management and energy efficiency,” Roseneck says
Last but not least, the exterior of the building is also getting some cool add-ons, with the installation of an LED digital billboard, “a dynamic tool that will elevate our marketing efforts and provide a platform to promote the premium brands we proudly represent. With thousands of trades people passing by every day, this eye-catching display will increase awareness of what Taurus Craco offers and showcase the Brands of Distinction that make us industry leaders,” Love says.
“From upcoming events to special promotions, this billboard will allow us to highlight key offerings, such as our newly-launched Light Industrial Workshop. As an official Festool and SawStop demo dealer, we’ll be running hands-on workshops and learning sessions, led by our in-house cabinetmaking expert, to showcase the latest tools and innovations. This initiative will further strengthen our partners’ visibility while also providing valuable opportunities for our customers to engage with the brands and products we’re experts in,” says Love.
