Carfulan Group gets consecutive accolades

The Carfulan Group has for the second year running been selected to appear in the London Stock Exchange’s ‘1,000 Companies to Inspire Britain’ report, a publication that celebrates the nation’s most outstanding SME businesses. To make the cut, companies are required to show consistent revenue growth over a minimum of three years, significantly outperforming their industry peers.

Comprising OGP UK, SYS Systems, Zoller UK and ViciVision UK, the Carfulan Group provides a range of manufacturing-related technologies and employs around 50 people, a staffing increase of 400% since 2002. With more than 1500 machine supplied to the UK market, in excess of 700 customers and a turnover approaching £15m, the group specialises in multi-sensor inspection equipment, 3D-printing technology, tool pre-setting and inspection devices, and turned-part measurement solutions.
Chris Fulton, Carfulan Group’s managing director, says: “Demand and confidence in UK manufacturing continues to grow, and our intuitive products are helping businesses to move smoothly towards Industry 4.0, a new era of interconnectivity, automation and self-monitoring that will deliver smoother processes and more productive smart factories.
“In the past 18 months we’ve redoubled our efforts to reach out to new markets at industry shows, hosted our first ever ‘pop-up’ technology event in London, achieved ISO 9001:2015 accreditation across all companies and held the inaugural ‘Manufacturing Performance Network’ at our headquarters in Foston, attracting scores of engineering professionals from across the UK,” he adds.
David Schwimmer, CEO at London Stock Exchange Group, says: “SMEs drive growth, innovation and job creation, and are the lifeblood of the British economy. We believe that supporting the growth of these businesses is critical to the UK economy and the creation of a society that works for everyone.”
For further information www.carfulan.com

Countdown begins to UMEX 2019

The 14th edition of UMEX, Asia’s largest expo for pre-owned machinery, is set to take place on 20-22 September at the Bombay Exhibition Centre in Mumbai, India.

At last year’s event, some 468 exhibitors and 11,346 visitors (from 16 countries) attended, which set new standards in terms of footfall, as well as serious enquiries and business generation. The 2019 show is timely as India’s manufacturing sector recently recorded its strongest growth in three months, with PMI rising to 52.7.
UMEX has always been well connected to the European market through partnerships since its inception. For instance, the event is organised in co-operation with MTI, the leading magazine and website for used machinery and associated equipment. UMEX is thought to be the only event of its kind in Asia which focuses specifically on pre-owned industrial machinery, and this year will be co-located with five other exhibitions centring on different industry segments, helping to draw even more visitors to the venue.
For further information www.umexonline.com

Citizen officially opens Midlands facility

More than 150 people attended the official opening of Citizen Machinery UK’s new £3m Turning Centre of Excellence in Brierley Hill, West Midlands last month.

The 680 sq m facility houses a showroom, international conference area, customer training school, applications engineering department and administrative offices. Sales of Citizen machines in Europe have increased year on year and, in 2018, the region sold 1200 units, taking turnover to nearly €600m, the highest ever.
Visitors on the day comprised the firm’s more than 50 UK employees, including those from the headquarters in Bushey, company representatives from Japan and around Europe, dealers and supplier partners from Japan, France, Italy, Portugal, Scandinavia and Israel, and staff from the contractors that realised the difficult building job over disused mine shafts in just 26 weeks.
For further information www.citizenmachinery.co.uk

Bringing manufacturing back to UK

Kendal-based engineering company Gilbert Gilkes & Gordon has made a seven-figure investment with Yamazaki Mazak to significantly increase productivity and bolster its UK manufacturing base.

Gilkes specialises in the design and manufacture of hydro-electric turbines and cooling pumps for high horse-power diesel engines, with parts sourced worldwide. The company has acquired a Mazak Integrex e-1250V/8 vertical multi-tasking machine, with the intention of increasing capacity at its Kendal facility and ultimately re-shoring the manufacture of vital components back to the UK.
Specifically, Gilkes currently sources fully-machined turbine runners from an Eastern European supplier. The new Mazak machine will enable the company to bring 40% of this machining work back to its facility in Kendal.
Gilkes’ new Integrex e-1250V/8 – one of the largest machines in the Mazak range – is designed for the multi-axis machining of large, complex workpieces. The machine is capable of performing a variety of tasks that would normally be completed by multiple machines, including turning, milling, boring and drilling operations. In addition, Mazak will be supplying a complete tool management system to reduce manual input and set-up times.
“Our current machine tools in Kendal are great workhorses, but we’ve gone about as far as we can with them,” says Rebecca Sandham, head of operations at Gilkes. “With the Mazak, we will be able to significantly increase our productivity levels, which will enable us to continue being highly competitive in our global markets.”
She continues: “The Integrex acquisition forms part of a long-term plan to upgrade our manufacturing capabilities. Ultimately, we want this investment to be seen as proof of our commitment to UK manufacturing operations and our responsibility to provide jobs for the local area.”
For further information www.mazakeu.co.uk

William Hughes acquires JK

William Hughes, a spring, wire-form and assembly specialist, has expanded its range of services for the manufacturing industry with the acquisition of Liskeard-based JK Metrology & Quality Services.

JK Metrology is an established metrology and quality consultancy that is accredited to ISO 17027 and ISO 9000. The company also offers a UKAS calibration service in line with ISO 17025.
“The acquisition will be of particular interest to our many customers involved in the manufacture of high-specification, high-precision components, where accurate measurement is key to their success,” says Max Hughes, managing director at William Hughes. “By investing resources and people into this established and well respected business, we will be able to offer a range of benefits for customers, including a reduced turnaround time.”
With a worldwide portfolio of customers, JK Metrology is one of only three UK laboratories offering UKAS calibration of gauge blocks by interferometry (Class A). Interferometry is the highest level of accuracy for length measurement, and JK Metrology can measure items up to 1 m long at 20°C ±0.05°C.
The company is also a supplier of metrology equipment, from micrometers and gauge blocks, to CMMs. In addition, JK Metrology continues to supply and service the metrology equipment previously manufactured by Select Gauges Ltd, following its closure.
Says Hughes: “We’re delighted to announce that John Kelly, a director of JK Metrology for many years, following a long career in the world of gauge calibration, will transfer to William Hughes. Here, his range of contacts, depth of experience and wealth of knowledge will be a valuable asset in the integration of the business.”
For further information www.wmhughes.co.uk