30 years of EOS

Additive manufacturing specialist EOS is celebrating 30 years since the company was founded in 1989 by Dr Hans Langer.

Today, the German family-owned enterprise has an installed base of nearly 3500 industrial 3D-printing systems. While the early phase of EOS was dominated by stereolithography, since 1997 the company has concentrated exclusively on laser sintering. This move was a far-reaching decision at the time and, as it turned out, the right strategy. The powder-bed based laser sintering process is particularly well suited to today’s rapidly growing market of series applications.
For further information www.eos.info

SYS-DPA joins Nidec Press & Automation

Nidec Press & Automation (NPA) CEO David Winch has announced the acquisition of a German-based company specialising in high-speed metal-forming automation machinery and technology.

Systeme and Steuerungen (SYS) and its subsidiary Die Peripherie Anlagen (DPA) join the NPA group of companies in offering turnkey manufacturing solutions to its customers.
SYS-DPA products include high-speed servo feeds, related automation machinery and integrated controls with production management and monitoring software. In addition, SYS-DPA offers a full suite of customer service products, specialising in press remanufacturing.
“This acquisition will allow us to offer a wider array of products and services, increase our global presence, and boost the profits of customers by combining the experience and synergies of our group companies,” says Winch.
Founded in 1994, SYS-DPA is headquartered in Grafenau, Germany and employs 120 people. Current managing director Wolfgang Biewald and his leadership team will continue to lead the SYS-DPA team in Germany.
Additional NPA brands include Minster, specialising in mid-range tonnage mechanical and servo presses. Arisa manufactures some of the world’s largest servo and mechanical presses, and specialises in customised solutions with built-to-order transfer and material handling systems integrated with controls and software.
Additional OEM solutions from NPA include high-speed servo-feeding systems from Vamco and high-speed presses from Kyori.
For further information www.nidecpa.com

Brandauer acquires CB Cable Clips

The company behind the self-adhesive cable clip has been acquired by one of Birmingham’s longest-established manufacturers.

Brandauer, which is a specialist in metal pressings and stampings, has purchased CB Cable Clips in an undisclosed deal that will safeguard three jobs, create two new positions and see all customers, IP, stock and assets transferred over.
Under new ownership, it is expected that the business has the potential to double its £110,000 annual sales over the first 12 months and will complement Brandauer’s own product range, which currently includes turnkey precision tooling, motor laminations and Elopin press-fit connectors. The deal is the first acquisition that Brandauer has ever completed in its 157-year history, and is part of an ambitious growth plan that will see it achieve £10m turnover by the end of 2020.
“We have been manufacturing the CB Cable Clip range under a subcontract agreement for more than 40 years, so are synonymous with the innovation and the production process,” says Rowan Crozier, CEO of Brandauer. “When the possibility of selling was sounded out, it seemed the logical decision to incorporate the business into Brandauer. We knew the quality and customer service expected, we knew the delivery patterns and, most significantly, it was another product we could add to our growing range.
“We are already looking to double the size of the team and believe there is an opportunity to access new markets and customers,” he adds.
Brandauer will manufacture and supply the CB Cable Clip range of self-adhesive aluminium cable clips. Since the invention came to market in 1972, over 566 million clips have been produced and used across the world.
For further information www.brandauer.co.uk

Atkin Automation celebrates 10 years with Shung Dar

Atkin Automation, part of Group Rhodes, is celebrating its 10-year anniversary as the UK and Ireland distributor for Taiwanese company Shung-Dar Industrial Co.

The company started working in partnership with Shung-Dar in 2008, and for the past decade Atkin Automation has been a distributor for Shung-Dar’s growing range of coil stamping and processing equipment for carbon steel, stainless steel and aluminium processing plants. Today, the product portfolio includes automatic slitting lines, cut-to-length lines, combined lines and multi-blanking lines.
Geoff Barker, sales manager at Atkin Automation, says: “The relationship has been a success as our two businesses share the same values. Our mutual goal is to deliver high-quality products and services. We also focus on innovation and the use of technology, and ensure we take care of our skilled workforce.”
To mark the 10th anniversary of the successful distributorship, Shung Dar president Mr Yang, his son Jason and sales manager Shawn Yang (nephew), travelled to Wakefield, where the new Atkin premises is located. Speaking at the company after a presentation on Shung-Dar’s expanding product range, Yang said: “Over the past decade, both of our businesses have grown significantly and we have also developed our range to provide a complete smart press stamping line solution to steel and aluminium producers and stockholders.”
For further information www.grouprhodes.co.uk

Quality awards prompt £150k sales

A company-wide commitment to quality and exacting standards is paying off for Alloy Wire International as it secured a host of new orders following a trio of accreditation awards.

The manufacturer of ‘high performance’ nickel alloys, which is owned by all of its employees at facilities in Brierley Hill and Yorkshire, has secured £150,000 of contracts to supply customers in the aerospace and energy sectors.
Management at the company is putting the recent success down to the fact that Alloy Wire has just been re-approved to the aerospace and defence standard AS9100 rev D and the ISO 14001 environmental standard, not to mention becoming one of the first in the UK to achieve ISO 45001, a new international accreditation that covers all aspects of health and safety.
For further information www.alloywire.com