Pat Sharkey Engineering

Pat Sharkey and his son Neil are best known for installing, repairing and maintaining machinery, although Pat has also sold Spielvogels for the past 25 years. But in 2012 they decided to take on agencies that would allow them to supply a range of machines to the stone industry in the UK.

Pat said at the time: “There’s a pent up demand, even though people aren’t aware of it. Things have been on hold so long now that when this thing does come to an end there will be a lot of machinery wanted. We came to the conclusion that we needed to be able to react when that happens.”

How right he was, although he was a few months ahead of the game and it was only last year that the majority of stone processors regained their enthusiasm for up-dating their machinery in a big way.

But Pat Sharkey Engineering Ltd has not stood still and 2014 has seen a number of significant developments for the company.

Not least it has taken on new agencies and moved into new premises that have enabled it to broaden its product range. That has coincided with a new look website (www.patsharkeyengineering.co.uk) that provides an overview of the range of machines on offer from the company.

That range still includes the German Spielvogel saws, although Spielvogel is not exhibiting at Marmomacc in Verona.

Pat Sharkey Engineering installed the latest touch screen CNC Spielvogel saw earlier this year. It is the Finch 1250, equipped with the latest fingertip profile drawing system that allows the operator to draw profiles on the HMI machine panel – a significant development if you do not have CAD drawing capability at your works.

Spielvogel’s versatile Pelican Jenny-Lind also continues to attract interest as it addresses many of the stone mason’s health & safety issues.

Pat Sharkey Engineering now also has the sole agency in the UK and Ireland for the Gilbert saws, following the successful conclusion of negotiations with the French maker in February this year.

Gilbert, which will not be at Marmomacc, either, is a fourth generation family business with a proud heritage offering a range of machines that meets most budgets and needs. The VS 25 wall-mounted saw remains a favourite as it takes up minimal floor space with its vertical cutting.

Another new agency is Nuova Mondial Mec, which is exhibiting in Verona. Pat Sharkey was particularly impressed with the Mondial Mec range – bench saws, slab saws, site equipment, floor grinding & polishing machines… all with a range of accessories.

The Pat Sharkey Engineering range was then expanded with an agreement with Canigó, in Banyoles in the shadow of the Spanish Pyrenees.

Canigó SA has manufactured machinery since the late 19th century and today offers a range of workcentres and saws.

The workcentres range from the manual HCT-M through to the HCT-A CNC model. The company also has a lot of saws, including block cutters, secondary saws and wire saws that, again, cover manual operation, semi-automatic and CNC in a variety of models and blade sizes. If you want something modified to your own specification, that, too, is an option.

Even at their most sophisticated, the intuitive icon-based programming on the Canigós makes for easy control and the operator training requirement is minimal.

For the extraction of stone, Pat Sharkey is now sole UK agent for Dazzini.

Dazzini is a leading producer of wire saws, chain saws, pneumatic and hydraulic drilling rigs, and hydro-bags.

In Verona, Dazzini will be showing its latest innovation, the QST3000D chain saw mounted on a CAT 432 backhoe and powered by the CAT hydraulics, so you don’t need a generator. The CAT 432 can move easily between quarry benches as well as being used to square a block for the factory saws.

Concluding the offer from Pat Sharkey is Sigma Group water treatment systems in a range of solutions to meet needs large and small, from fully automatic silo treatment systems down to compact filter bags. Sigma also makes dust extraction equipment – turbo-wash bankers, water walls and centralised ducted systems. There will be more about that in the November issue of Natural Stone Specialist.