Stone machinery, tools and consumables company D Zambelis has long since wanted a dedicated showroom-cum-training centre for the machines  and equipment it sells. Now it has one.

“A vision of 10 years in the making, we have finally been able to make a dream come true and open the machinery showroom and training centre,” says Jasper Zambelis..

The machines on show start with the Italmecc AirBox dust extractor unit. Then there’s the Achilli 4 Axes Gold, Terzago CUTe (in both four and five axes versions) and the monobloc OMAG Digitale 5 five axes machine with a camera and suction lift.

They will soon be joined by an OMAG CNC workcentre and an Edge Polisher.

The aim is to use the new 300m2 training centre to demonstrate machines that customers want to see in action for themselves to get a better understanding of their capabilities and require more training to make full use of all their features.

It will give customers a better understanding of what the machines are capable of and the skill-level and experience required to operate them.

The showroom did not take long to prove its worth. The day after it opened a customer came along with their operator and by spending just over an hour seeing the same job completed on three different machines, and the programming required to do carry out the work, it was clear which machine was the right choice, bearing in mind the skill set of the operator and what would be required of the machine.

The order was placed and now, while the customer waits for their machine to arrive, the operator will attend further training sessions to get fully up to speed before it is commissioned.

And because there is often quite a lot to learn, D Zambelis is offering repeat training free for up to a year from purchase.

Because of the Covid-19 concerns and restrictions, viewings are currently on an appointment only basis, so D Zambelis asks people not just to drop in to its premises in South Woodham, Essex, but to arrange a visit. However, it says visits can be arranged at short notice if necessary.

Once the Covid restrictions are lifted and visitors are comfortable about meeting in groups again, the plan is to organise open events to demonstrate both tooling and machinery, with the manufacturers on hand to talk about their products.

Along with the new show/training centre comes a dedicated trade counter, which also serves as a collection point for customers.

It is open from 8:30am to 4:30pm Monday to Friday with all tools and consumables available for immediate collection.