Barry Illsley Building & Joinery has been turning dreams into reality since 2012. What started as a building company has evolved into something much more comprehensive – a business that not only constructs your dream home but now crafts the beautiful timber joinery that goes inside it. With their expansion into joinery services, proper dust extraction became essential for their new workshop facility.
As they entered their 15th year in business, Barry and his team of master craftsmen had a vision: a new workshop, office, and showroom that would match their award-winning reputation. But with growth comes challenges, and for Barry Illsley Building & Joinery, those challenges centered around ensuring their new facility had the right dust extraction system from day one.
The Challenge of Growth
Barry Illsley Building & Joinery’s success story reads like a masterclass in business evolution. From their early days as a building company, they’ve grown to become Gold Award and Regional Category Winners for House of the Year in 2019, 2022, and 2023. Their reputation as Master Builders members and Licensed Building Practitioners has been built on quality work and precision craftsmanship.
But success brings its own set of challenges. “As we’re in both the building and joinery industry, we’re seeing a lot of growth and needed to keep in front,” explains Barry. The company made significant investments to meet increasing demand, adding a CNC machine and edgebander to provide extra flexibility in their joinery operations.
However, they knew their old bag collectors wouldn’t be suitable for their new facility. “We only had old bag collectors on the other machines and knew we were overdue for a dust extraction upgrade,” Barry recalls. In an industry where precision is everything and worker health is paramount, inadequate dust extraction wasn’t just an inconvenience – it was a barrier to the quality and efficiency they were known for.
Finding the Right Partner
When it came to choosing a dust extraction solution for their new workshop, Barry didn’t leave anything to chance. The same attention to detail that has earned them multiple House of the Year awards was applied to selecting their dust extraction partner.
“We were recommended Egmont Air from some local contractors,” Barry explains. “I did a Google search and talked to others who also mentioned that Egmont Air were the people to work with.”
Feeling comfortable with the amount of recommendations from others within the building and joinery community, they chose to go with Egmont Air.
The Technical Solution
Egmont Air’s assessment revealed that Barry’s operation required a total airflow of 6,093m³/hr with both the CNC and edgebander running simultaneously. The recommended solution was the Egmont MFS3 Filter unit paired with a 10HP high-efficiency fan delivering 7,000m³/hr of airflow capacity.
The MFS series units are specifically engineered for New Zealand’s medium-sized joinery operations. Built with a galvanized frame and panel construction suitable for outdoor installation, these units offer generous filter surface area that provides high filtering efficiency to comply with clean air discharge regulations.
But the real innovation came with the Eco-Power system – a variable speed drive and pressure stabiliser controller that automatically adjusts fan speed based on how many outlets are in use. This technology doesn’t just maintain optimal suction; it delivers substantial energy savings.
Above: The Egmont Air Dust Extraction System inside Barry Illsley’s new workshop
Seamless Installation
One of the biggest concerns for any growing business is downtime during upgrades. Barry’s experience with Egmont Air’s installation process exceeded expectations.
“Installation went very smooth from initial evaluation to install,” he reports. “Everyone was good to work with and very helpful, the whole process was very straightforward. Very happy with the outcome.”
This smooth installation process meant minimal disruption to Barry’s operations – crucial for a business juggling building projects and joinery orders while establishing their new facility.
The Results in Their New Workshop
The results in their newly completed workshop speak for themselves.
“Suction at machines is great,” Barry notes with satisfaction. “The staff are pleased with how well it performs and extracts the dust, and the floors and air in the factory stay clean.”
The impact goes beyond just cleaner air. In joinery work, dust contamination can cause machining marks, bruising, and excessive wear on expensive cutting tools. By maintaining calibrated dust extraction rates, the Egmont Air system ensures that dust and shavings are efficiently removed before they can cause quality issues or equipment damage.
The impact on workplace health and productivity has been equally significant. Workers in the joinery shop now enjoy a cleaner, healthier environment that allows them to focus on their craft rather than dealing with dust-related issues. At the end of each workday, less time is spent on cleanup, and the workshop maintains its professional appearance.
Looking Forward
As Barry Illsley Building & Joinery continues to expand their timber joinery services – including kitchens, sculleries, laundries, interior doors, and repair work – their investment in professional dust extraction positions them for continued growth. Their newly completed workshop, office, and showroom is not just a physical expansion but a commitment to maintaining the highest standards in both their building and joinery operations.
“We highly recommend Egmont Air,” Barry states simply. Coming from a business that has built its reputation on quality and precision, this endorsement carries significant weight.
Ready to Upgrade Your Workshop’s Dust Extraction?
If you’re experiencing challenges with dust extraction in your workshop, or planning a new facility like Barry Illsley Building & Joinery, don’t wait until dust becomes a problem.
Contact Egmont Air today to discuss how our dust extraction solutions can help create a cleaner, healthier, and more productive work environment for your business. Our team of experts will assess your specific needs and recommend the right system to keep your workshop running at its best.