The outbreak of a devastating fire in April 2025 could have spelt curtains for Western Pegasus, a Birmingham-based precision engineering company specialising in high-accuracy and customised spline gauges, master gears and spline-related inspection gauging.
Instead, through the leadership and dogged determination of company president Andy Wincel, the dedication of its 40-strong workforce, immediate financial support from its bank and strong business partnerships – most notably with United Machining – the company was back up and running within three months.
United Machining, a manufacturer and supplier of EDM, milling, additive manufacturing and laser texturing machine tools – as well as automation, software and tooling systems – recently supplied Western Pegasus with three new AgieCharmilles wire EDM machines.
The machines, a CUT 2000 and two CUT 1000 models, are now in situ at Western Pegasus’ new Kitts Green facility. The company relocated there following the major fire, which destroyed its original Tyseley plant of 40 years.
The three machines, funded in part through an £850,000 overdraft facility followed by a £1.2m funding package from HSBC UK, have replaced AgieCharmilles EDM machines rendered unusable by the Easter Sunday fire.
“Supporting Western Pegasus through such challenging times has been a highly rewarding experience,” says Steve Eames, relationship manager at HSBC UK. “We acted quickly to support the company’s recovery, and the resilience shown by the team was remarkable. It’s fantastic to see the business thriving.”
Western Pegasus has built strong relationships with United Machining, previously GF Machining Solutions, over many years, with the company investing regularly in high-end wire EDM technology to increase capacity and capability.
Says Wincel: “These machines are renowned for delivering consistent and repeatable high accuracies and superior surface finishes, making them our technology of choice.”
The gauge and gear inspection equipment manufactured by Western Pegasus is specified globally by the automotive, aerospace, marine and agricultural industries. The equipment measures the dimensional accuracy and geometric tolerances of gear teeth, including tooth profiles, pitch deviations, thickness and size, lead and helix angles, and runout.
Accuracy is non-negotiable, with gear tooth flanges and profiles requiring tolerances better than ±2 µm. This is why Western Pegasus has continued to invest in AgieCharmilles wire EDM technology. Featuring technologies including Intelligent Spark Protection (ISPS), iWire, the Uniqua iHMI interface and Automatic Wire Change (AWC), the machines combine high precision with fast processing speeds, flexibility and reliability.
Armed with advanced machine tool technology, proven manufacturing processes and an experienced workforce, Western Pegasus was geared up for further growth. Then the fire started in an adjacent factory.
“One of the most advanced wire EDM facilities in the UK was destroyed,” declares Wincel.
The situation was made even more difficult by the fact that the fire broke out on Easter Sunday, disrupting communications, while Wincel was thousands of miles away at home in Australia.
“You wouldn’t wish it on your worst enemy,” he says. “Dealing with loss adjusters, assessors and insurance claims is one thing, but when you add a workforce understandably wondering whether they still have jobs, as well as customers asking about the status of their work, the situation was fraught, to put it mildly.
“We lost a lot. Our servers and IT equipment went up in smoke. Our machine tools and ancillary technologies were severely compromised. All our records, documentation and work in progress were gone too.”
Despite the devastation, Wincel decided not to call it quits and instead began planning the rebirth of Western Pegasus. A warehouse facility he had previously acquired at Kitts Green, around 16 miles from the damaged Tyseley factory, was selected as the company’s new home.
“We wanted to become operational as soon as possible,” he remarks. “However, it was important that we did things methodically and clinically.”
The transformation was substantial. As well as assessing and removing what equipment could be salvaged from the old site, the Kitts Green premises required complete modernisation. The work included cleaning and clearing the building, upgrading electrics and plumbing, installing new floors and a roof, creating offices and toilets, designing a temperature-controlled machine shop and constructing an accredited inspection laboratory. It was a monumental undertaking, made even more challenging by the tight timescale.
“I contacted United Machining UK’s managing director, Martin Spencer, to see if he could assist us in acquiring a number of advanced wire EDM machines in double-quick time.”
Western Pegasus had previously acquired 10 AgieCharmilles wire EDM machines and two System 3R automation systems from United Machining. The fire had left the equipment unfit for purpose.
“United Machining was our first port of call and fortunately the company mobilised its resources to help us out.”
Adds Spencer: “First and foremost, we wanted to help. Western Pegasus is a loyal customer and we believed that Andy and his team, with the right support, could turn it around and make a success of things.
“Having spoken to Andy about his immediate requirements, we identified the type and number of new AgieCharmilles wire EDM machines needed to restart machining operations: a CUT 2000 and two CUT 1000 models.”
However, there was a problem. Machines such as the CUT 1000 and CUT 2000 are built to order rather than held in stock. The urgency of Western Pegasus’ situation therefore triggered an international response, with AgieCharmilles’ manufacturing facility in Zandone, Switzerland, marshalling its resources to build the three replacement machines in record time.
“It was a real collaborative effort,” says Spencer. “It demonstrated how United Machining is able and willing to pull out all the stops for its customers.”
Starting in June, the three wire EDM machines were delivered and installed individually at Western Pegasus’ new facility over a period of just six weeks. This rapid response enabled production to resume while the wider relocation and building programme continued.
“When you’re up against it, you really find out who your partners are,” says Wincel. “United Machining pulled out all the stops for us. They helped us clear the old site, arrange safe storage of equipment, identify where and how we could acquire three new machines, and organise delivery and installation around our building schedule.
“They also provided expert applications and logistics advice and support, enabling us to hit the ground running. The fire completely took out our manufacturing operations, but in just 10 weeks we were back in business. We simply could not have achieved this without United Machining and its suppliers. That’s what a real partnership is all about.”
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