Hoffmann Group and Iscar team up

From 1 October 2023, the Hoffmann Group will offer the complete tool range of Iscar throughout Europe and supply it from its central LogisticCitywarehouse in Nuremberg. Hoffmann SE, representing the Hoffmann Group, and Iscar Ltd signedthe underlying agreement last month. Borries Schüler, chief product management andengineering officer with Hoffmann SE, says: “With Iscar´s tools we can offer an even wider range along with targeted process solutions for all machining tasks. This co-operation will offer real benefits tocustomers.”
For further information www.hoffman-group.com

5G helping manufacturing efficiency

The delivery of the UK’s first, fully operational 5G Standalone (5G SA) testbed is bringing UK manufacturers another step closer to creating a more adaptable manufacturing ecosystem.
Lead engineers from the University of Sheffield’s Advanced Manufacturing Research Centre (AMRC) North West, hosted the 5G Factory of the Future programme close-out event, alongside project partners at the end of last month.

“The 5G FoF project has successfully delivered the largest manufacturing testbed in the UK with 5G standalone capability,” says Dr Aparajithan Sivanathan, project lead for the 5G Factory of the Future programme and head of digital technology at AMRC North West. “We’ve also created a business model that will sustain the testbed beyond the end of the project. 5G is going to be the future and we’re now thinking about the next phase.”
For further information www.amrc.co.uk

TREMBLES PUMPS UP ITS PERMANENT RECRUITMENT SOLUTION WITH EXTENSION TO MET CONTRACT

A major UK supplier and manufacturer of pumps has extended its working relationship with MET Recruitment after a hugely successful jobs push.Trebles, which operates from a national distribution centre in Wolverhampton and two flagship sites in Derby and Uxbridge, had been struggling with succession planning and in finding the right people to support recent growth.

Established in 1966 Trebles is the largest independent pump distributor with manufacturing and service capability in the UK. The company’s knowledge is not just limited to a handful of pump types or brands – it spans in excess of 50 suppliers, with team members specialising across all fluid circulation product types, from domestic, to commercial and industrial pumping and pressurisation equipment.

Trebles holds in excess of £3m stock holding within the UK, primarily held at its national distribution centre and head office location in Wolverhampton. The company is not afraid to invest in stock. With the team’s expansive product knowledge, Trebles know which products to stock to suit various applications, enabling a quick delivery timeframe.

The company had tried fulfilling a host of positions through investment in apprenticeships, graduates, and direct advertising, but none of these routes delivered staff that stayed the course.

Frustrated by the lack of results, the management team chose to tap into an existing relationship with Dudley-based MET Recruitment, this time asking the agency to help it with the placement of permanent staff.The results have been impressive, with 10 new employees found, interviewed and then supported into seamless employment with Trebles.

“There’s been a lot of recent investment throughout our Wolverhampton site, the purchase of a building for our London branch and the introduction of a new customer relationship management system,” explains Stuart Herritty, managing director of Trebles. “This has all been done to support expansion, with demand for our bespoke plant solutions and enormous range of pumps, including big brands like Grundfos, Lowara and Wilo, growing significantly over the past two years.”

Trebles also has its own range of in-house designed and manufactured product.Some of the company’s most well-known innovations include the EcoBoost and Ecoboost+ booster sets, along with the Trebles Pressbox. Furthermore, from Trebles dedicated manufacturing and engineering department a regular yet bespoke flow of Packaged Plantrooms and Skids leaves the workshop, delivered as complete solutions to the sites of customers.

Says Herritty: “People are our most important asset and an area we also needed to invest in due to staff retiring and the business taking a more proactive approach with succession planning, not to mention increasing our commercial and technical strength in-depth.There’s no doubt we had a period of ‘failed’ recruitment where trainee employees have left within comparatively short periods of time. With this in mind, we chose to target more experienced employees, and this has been more successful in integrating new staff into our current 65-strong team.”

MET Recruitment’s permanent team had worked with Trebles since 2018, but the relationship has really accelerated over the past 12 months.

Experts at the agency joined forces with the management team to identify key positions, future skills needs and the age demographic of the workforce, taking all this information and putting it into a coherent employment strategy.

Over the course of the year, MET successfully placed 10 permanent employees across a variety of business areas, including administration, customer services, warehousing, accounts and sales. All fulfilled key positions or were strategic hires that enabled the pump specialist to deliver operational performance and plan for ongoing growth.

Stella Wakeham, head of the permanent division at MET Recruitment, says: “This is a perfect example of how we can work with our clients to help them overcome a number of recruitment challenges.It’s no longer just a case of moving temporary workers around. We spend alot of time getting to know firms like Trebles, understanding their pain points and then using our own expertise, systems and pipeline of talent to deliver the answers.

She adds: “In this instance, the client found part time/temp staff struggled to learn the specialist nature of their industry and instead wanted a longer-term focus. Training new staff is a sizable investment and, to get the best return, employees need to stay and grow with the business. This is something our permanent division has delivered, with 10 new employees recruited and making a real positive difference.”

Originally set up to supply workers to the mechanical and electrical trades, MET Recruitment has gone from three people in a small office on the Pensnett Trading Estate to a 23-strong agency operating from a dedicated head office on Wolverhampton Street in Dudley and The Permanent Staffing Hub on the Waterfront.

Investment in its 360° recruitment solution for clients and an industry-best support infrastructure for candidates has helped it secure a strong client base across engineering, manufacturing and professional services.

Trebles operations manager Stuart Tomlinson concludes: “As we continue to grow, MET will continue to be the first port of call for our recruitment needs.”
For further information www.metrecruitment.com

Heavy press dies handled quickly and easily

In Eltville am Rhein, Jean Müller develops and produces around 40,000 components for distributing, controlling, securing and measuring electrical energy in low-voltage networks. For handling particularly heavy punch-press tools for manufacturing a new product series, the family-run business was initially looking for a new transport cart. In the end, however, the company acquired a complete die-changing system from Roemheld, comprising racking and a lifting cart with integrated docking system and radio remote control. Similar technology is available in Britain and Ireland through Roemheld UK.

A the heart of the joint solution is the manoeuvrable, electrically-driven Roemheld RWA 4000 die-changing cart, which is capable of carrying a load of up to 4 tonne. It has a die-changing table with integrated hydraulic ball bars and a pull-push system that facilitates automatic insertion of the dies on a press bed.

During transport, the hydraulic balls in the cart table are lowered and, consequently, the die is prevented from slipping. A safety circuit ensures that the RWA 4000 only moves when the ball bars are retracted. Removable safety bars at the front and sides of the support surface additionally secure the die. Users can control the cart from a central panel on the drawbar, on which a multi-function display sits. Alternatively, employees can adjust the most important cart functions remotely via the radio control.

Jean Müller’s new system has been in continuous three-shift operation since the spring of 2022, the year that the company celebrated its 125th anniversary. The distances the dies have to travel to the presses is now shorter, resulting in a time saving of 15 minutes for each changeover, which happens up to three times per shift.
For further information www.roemheld.co.uk

Strong demand for servo roll feed equipment

The Atkin Automation division of Group Rhodes is celebrating a number of major contract wins to manufacture a number of roll feeds for companies in the northwest and southeast of England. Specifically, the orders include the production of an RFC 100-300 mm wide heavy-duty unit, an RF70-100mm wide machine and an RF100-50 unit to run heavier narrow strips in galvanised steel. All units will feature multi-pitch and tool-gag functions to enable the manufacture of complex punched components for construction metalwork.

Atkin is also producing an RF70-300 unit for a manufacturer of clamping systems in the automotive sector and has won a contract to produce three smaller decoilers to serve the grinding process used in the manufacture of technical/craft blades. A further order for four bespoke units from the same company, complete with a vertical to horizontal tilt mechanism, is also on the expanding order book.

With further promising sales enquiries in the pipeline, the future looks very positive for Atkin Automation. The company is currently busy working on prospective orders with press builder and sister company Rhodes Interform for the design and manufacture of complete metal-forming lines.

Geoff Barker, sales manager for Atkin Automation, says: “We’ve had a very busy 12 months and the fact that so many customers are returning to us with new equipment orders is testament to the service we provide.”
For further information www.grouprhodes.co.uk