Rhodes Interform Ltd, part of Wakefield-based Group Rhodes (www.group rhodes.co.uk), has embarked on a new working partnership with the German manufacturer Dr Hochstrate Maschinenbau GmbH; it will act as the UK and Ireland distributor for the latter’s range of guillotine shears (in addition to the hydraulic folding machines that it already distributes).

Offering cutting capacities from 1 to 25mm for thickness and cutting lengths from 1,000 to 8,000mm, these guillotine shears can handle a wide range of materials, including mild steel, stainless steel, copper, polycarbonate, molybdenum, magnesium, aluminium and plastics.

Moreover, they have been continuously improved in collaboration with local universities and colleges, optimising their precision and the range of functions available.

Dr Hochstrate Maschinenbau is located in the Ruhr area of Germany and was originally a supplier of components for the coal-mining industries; it began making folding machines over 40 years ago and is now a renowned manufacturer of machinery for the sheet metal-processing industries.