SUBCONTRACTING NEWS

Barrow funding

A major investment in Barrow-in-Furness can only be good news for supply chain companies and the wider economy. That is the view of award-winning engineering business Forth, which has one of its three Cumbrian bases in the town. The Government’s announcement of a £20m investment in the Barrow Transformation Fund is expected to create more than 8000 career opportunities at BAE Systems, its supply chain and the region’s economy. Forth believes the fund will help it attract engineering talent to the area as well as creating significant opportunities to support new defence projects at BAE Systems.

For further information www.forth.uk.com

Simwon adopts AP & T press-hardening technology

Together with its agent Daekyung International, AP&T has spent many years building up a
relationship with Simwon and MS Autotech in South Korea. In a visit to China a few years
ago, Simwon’s managing director got the opportunity to see how AP&T’s press-hardening
production lines perform in action. It was the start of a rewarding collaboration between

the two parties. In spring 2022, the first line from AP&T was installed at Simwon’s facility in
Austin, Texas. The line’s output is thus far exceeding the company’s very high expectations.
Simwon is part of MS Autotech, a globally operating sub-supplier to many of the world’s
major car manufacturers. Simwon America in Austin, Texas produces press-hardened
components for the American market.
“The new line primarily manufactures door rings for one of our larger American customers,”
says Jeon Incheol, senior manager of the overseas sales team at Simwon. “To meet their
needs, the technology has to run faultlessly, and we need to be able to produce at top
speed. The output is 15-20% higher than our other press-hardening lines.”
The success of the Simwon investment is also of great importance to AP&T.  
“We’re naturally pleased to fulfil Simwon’s high requirements on product quality, cycle
times and machine availability,” says Peter Robisch, sales manager at AP&T. “For us, this is a
strategically important deal that has strengthened our position in press hardening on the
North American market.”
The line includes a hydraulic press with a press force of 1200 tons, automation equipment
and a control system. Thanks to the uniform control system, it is possible to synchronise the
line’s hydraulic presses and linear robots.
For further information www.aptgroup.com

Bridging the commercial ‘valley of death’

Manufacturing, business and academia have come together to bridge the UK’s £bn+ commercial ‘valley of death’. PP Plus, which is led by PP Control & Automation, is delivering access to expertise that will help companies develop and scale green technologies. More than 20 organisations are involved, including Brandauer, the Centre for Advanced Low Carbon Propulsion Systems, Cleveland Scott York, Product Approvals, Protolabs, Silverstone Technology Cluster and WMG. Together, they can take innovators from development and prototyping to protecting their IP, contract manufacturing and driving sales through PR.For further information www.pp-plus.org

£1m press investment at BPL Engineering

A UK sheet metalwork specialist has extended its long-term partnership with Worcester Presses with a new £1m investment. BPL Engineering Group, which employs 40 people at its state-of-the-art facility in Kings Norton, has installed a 500 tonne straight-sided, twin-crank Ching Fong to support its move into medium and high-volume work. The press comes with a large bed, works high up the stroke, and features a 1 m, 3-in-1 Tomac coil line, giving it the capacity to take on large parts destined for cars, trucks and aircraft.

“This latest Chin Fong is our biggest mechanical press to date and gives us additional capacity to take on complex progression tools in medium to high volumes,” explains Matt Adams, operations director at BPL Engineering Group. “There’s a lot of opportunity to service contracts with automotive clients and this machine will hopefully help us engage in new sectors requiring complex metal stamping where we can offer bespoke tooling solutions.”

Installation, including a new isolated pit to cut vibrations, is now complete and BPL is looking to start running products off in the next few weeks. The company is training four operators, including apprentices.

“We know what we’re getting with the Chin Fong: great reliability, superb accuracy and strong performance,” says Adams. “However, the relationship we have with Worcester

Presses is the real reason we keep turning to this press manufacturer. Russell Hartill and his team understand our business and the market opportunity and then put together tailored turnkey packages that not only meet, but surpass our performance expectations. The service and maintenance offers are also top class.”

For further information www.worcesterpresses.co.uk

All-inclusive package for end machining

Regional roots; international success. This applies to the three companies GABO Stahl, Mössner and Mapal equally. It is only logical that a co-operation benefits everyone: for the end machining of round steel, GABO Stahl now relies on an automated solution from Mössner, which in turn works with Mapal tools.

Sawn round steel bars with lengths of 9 mm are just as much a part of GABO Stahl’s portfolio as round steel bars with a length of 6000 mm. The company has a large customer base and its products find use in a wide range of applications – from electrical and hydraulic parts production to large bolts for wind turbines.

GABO Stahl is not only a steel trader, but also a steel processor, with products manufactured typically in small series. As a result, the company’s manufacturing equipment must be flexible, which is why it relies on machine builder Mössner.

“Tooling specialist Mapal is our go-to partner,” says Markus Fuchs, purchasing manager at Mössner. “We work closely together and receive quick, straightforward support.”

Mapal and Mössner partnered together for around eight weeks on the system that is now in-situ at GABO Stahl. Marc Wagner, technical consultant at Mapal, recalls: “The tool for facing, chamfering and centre drilling different types of steel and diameters was a major challenge.”

Adds Fuchs: “We got everyone round the table. Once the right tool had been defined and designed, we built the machine around it.”

The team found the optimum solution with a milling tool accompanied by cartridges and a centre drill. It is possible to machine the many different materials and workpieces with the same coated indexable insert. The cartridges quickly and easily set different diameters for the workpiece chamfer.

For further information www.mapal.com