Sunnen makes direct sales

Starting January 2019, Sunnen is bringing direct sales and service to Canada, providing an enhanced customer experience and full access to the company’s total bore solutions.

The establishment of a Canada-based sales and support team will provide increased access to customer service and offer the full support of Sunnen’s corporate headquarters located in St Louis, Missouri. Sunnen products were previously available in Canada via a factory authorised distributor. All Canadian orders and customer-service requests will now be handled directly by a staff of sales representatives and technical personnel located in Canada.
For further information www.sunnen.com

Automotive in the spotlight

The changing times of the automotive industry was the main focus of discussion recently when In-Comm Training and Manufacturing Group (TMG) hosted its latest open house.

James Grainger, executive director of Grainger & Worrall and vice chair of the Motorsport Industry Association (MIA), explored how the sector has evolved over the past 30 years in front of more than 50 industry delegates at the Marches Centre of Manufacturing & Technology. In-Comm TMG is a consortium of like-minded businesses bound together by a common vision to improve skills and productivity in the UK.
For further information www.in-commt-tmg.co.uk

VMCs help machine builder plan for growth

Scottish Robotic Systems, a special purpose machine builder based in Perth, controls all of its design, product development and manufacturing in-house, with the only exception being sheet metalwork. This achievement has been made possible thanks to investment over the years in XYZ machine tools. The company’s first XYZ machine, a ProtoTrak turret mill was made 20 years ago, and was quickly followed by two more.

“These first mills transformed the way we went about our business,” says director Ross Walker. “We used to have to draw the part then put it out to subcontract. Once the XYZ machines arrived, we machined things ourselves, accelerating the prototyping process and spending less time drawing parts. They literally saved us weeks in product development as we could make parts quickly, when we needed them, without relying on external suppliers.”
Those three ProtoTrak mills are still in the workshop at Scottish Robotic Systems, but they have now been joined by two XYZ vertical machining centres, a VMC 710 and a high-speed 1060 HS. As the company’s products developed and pressure on lead times increased, this investment was the next logical step for Walker. Drawings are now done using CAD systems for prototyping, and the files are then post-processed ready for downloading to the machines’ Siemens controls. Such is their speed of operation, the investment has also created opportunities to bring in subcontract work from other suppliers.
“I had no machining experience whatsoever before I came to work for my father but, having used the ProtoTrak machines, the transition to the VMCs and the Siemens control was straightforward,” says Walker. “The speed of set-up is excellent and, although we have CADCAM, we program most jobs at the machine as it’s so easy – we can be cutting metal very quickly.”
For further information www.xyzmachinetools.com

Subcon co-locates with other shows

This year’s Subcon show is set to be co-located with The Engineer Expo and Advanced Manufacturing.

Now in its 43rd year, Subcon 2019 will take place at the Birmingham NEC on 4-6 June. Over three days, the three events will showcase complete manufacturing solutions, from design, prototyping and development, through contract and subcontract products and services, to machine tools, systems and equipment. Together, the three shows will provide an event that will enable visitors to not only save time sourcing new partners, but get ahead of the competition with newly developed technologies and services.
For further information www.subconshow.co.uk

300 exhibitors expected at SteelFab 2019

Taking place on 14-17 January at the Expo Centre in Sharjah, United Arab Emirates, SteelFab will mark 15 years as a major technology showcase in the Middle East.

Indeed, the exhibition has evolved to become the region’s premier trade show for metalworking, metal manufacturing and steel fabrication. At the 2019 show, visitors will not fail to notice the strong macro-economic tailwinds propelling industrial growth in the Middle East. Significant among them is the rise in oil prices, which along with easier fiscal consolidation and tax reforms, helped to register UAE growth of 3.8% in 2018.
At SteelFab 2019, Haas and BLM will be among new machine tool exhibitors taking their place, while a new UK Pavilion will shine the spotlight on companies such as Chester Machine Tools, Kingsbury, Kitchen & Walker and Brierley. Heavy-duty machine tool specialist, Broadbent Stanley, will also be present. In total, 300 exhibitors from 23 countries are expected to take part. Spanning six halls, it is anticipated that over 7000 visitors will attend the show.
For further information www.steelfabme.com