SUBCONTRACTING NEWS

Sheffield Forgemasters acquires more space

Sheffield Forgemasters has acquired a10,000 sq ft two-storey office building close to Meadowhall that will house increasing staff numbers.Located at the junction of Brightside Lane and Weedon Street, the 1980s-built Riverside Court complex, will become a new base for project leaders and associated contractors working on the company’s new 13,000-tonne forging line and proposed machining facility.With Sheffield Forgemasters undertaking a multi-million-pound recapitalisation project, its workforce has almost doubled through the presence of around 500 on-site contractors.

For further information www.sheffieldforgemasters.com

Birmingham engineer gets royal recognition

A West Midlands engineer was recognised in the New Year’s Honours List.Rowan Crozier, CEO of metal pressing, stamping and tooling specialist Brandauer, received an MBE for services to manufacturing and enterprise.Crozierhelped steer the company through the pandemic and towards a record-breaking £9.3m year, sending millions of components to more than 26 countries every week.He is also an ambassador for developing the industry professionals of the future, revolutionising the firm’s apprenticeship scheme, and helping to launch the UK’s first Precision Toolmaking Academy in late 2022.

For further information www.brandauer.co.uk

Forth launches new division

An award-winning engineering solutions business is launching a new division at a specialist base to expand its capability and create new jobs across a northwest community.Forth has acquired a new facility in Barrow-in-Furness and is launching Forth Fabrications to support BAE Systems’ submarine division and other industries across the region.Cumbria-based Forth, which opened its first Barrow facility five years ago,also has bases in Flimby and Cleator Moor. The company operates in the nuclear, oil and gas, renewables, and other advanced manufacturing sectors.

For further information www.forth.uk.com

New waterjet to Sweden’s largest growth region

In 2022, the Swedish government estimated there was a total of 40,000 new jobs in the Norrbotten and Västerbotten region, a northern territory of Sweden. Norrsken Metall has been a well-known contract manufacturer in the region for many years. The company has experience of waterjet cutting since 2000 butits existing machine was worn out with recurring operational problems, so it was time to switch to a new and more reliable solution. Patrik Flodin and Niklas Fällman, owners of Norrsken Metall, got in touch with Christian Svensson, regional sales manager at Water Jet Sweden, a man with more than 25 years of experience in waterjet cutting machines.

“Together with the customer, we developed a machine solution that provides both increased capacity and better reliability,” says Svensson.

The Water Jet Sweden Grand model is a robust and powerful system for machining all types of materials, as well as for handling large or odd dimensions. Thanks to Water Jet Sweden’s patent, the machine offers the same high precision regardless of its size. The 3.2 x 7.7 m working area is divided into two working zones, allowing loading and unloading while the machine is running.

“There are many improvements,”reveals Svensson. “For instance, the systems for abrasive supply and sludge handling are extra powerful to handle cutting without interruption, and the machine is equipped with a more powerful pump for faster cutting.”

Thanks to its new investment, Norrsken Metall has both capacity and reliability to meet growing demand for waterjet cutting in the region. In fact, the company is already seeing growth, receiving several assignments from the new battery factory undergoing construction in the neighbourhood.

For further information www.waterjetsweden.com

Amada helps Q-Laser meet growing demand

Q-Laser, a Tyne & Wear based precision subcontractor offering laser cutting, bending, waterjet cutting and fabrication services, is investing in the latest manufacturing technologies from Amada, including a laser cutter, press brake and production monitoring software. The investments are helping to meet growing demand at the company, which has seen a 22% increase in turnover over the past year alone.

With so much growth and success, Q-Laser deemed it necessary to invest in additional manufacturing technology, identifying another laser cutter as its top priority.

“We needed more cutting hours with the benefit of production flexibility,” reports company owner, Colin Hewitt.“Importantly, we recognised the need to keep expanding the business, where a second machine would support the laser cutter already on site. Our customers expect to have their orders processed and delivered within a few days, so it was our duty to try and accommodate that demand.”

Hewitt and his team considered two potential laser cutting machines, ultimately opting for a new Amada Ensis 3015AJ 6kW fibre laser.

“Not only was the price within our budget, but the technology and features offered, along with the machine’s ease-of-use, made our decision easy,” explains Hewitt.“It was actually our laser operators that made the final call after visiting and operating the machine at Amada’s UK headquarters in Kidderminster.”

The company’s laser-cutting operation is currently running across a single shift, with the aim of achieving two shifts in the near future.

“The Amada Ensis-AJ has given us a distinct boost over our existing laser cutter, providing higher speed, better cut quality, greater consistency and more ease-of-use,” says Hewitt. “We particularly like the ability to see the recording/live feed on the laser, which is very beneficial.”

For further information www.amada.eu