UK NEWS

Mitutoyo CMM offers pace and precision at Fort Vale

Based in Burnley, Fort Vale Engineering is a specialist in the design and manufacture of stainless steel valves and fittings for the container tank industry that enable the safe transportation of liquids, powders and gases. Due to the nature of the global industries Fort Vale serves and the need to transport gases and liquids safely by road, rail and sea, the quality of the company’s products is of paramount importance.

Given the company’s rigorous quality standards and precision requirements, when looking to purchase a new CMM, Fort Vale compiled a demanding list of system requirements. In addition to a high-accuracy specification, the large volumes of parts constantly passing through the company’s busy inspection department meant that speed and ease of use were also major considerations. Furthermore, as the CMM had to inspect a diverse range of components, from small complex parts to large castings, the capacity and flexibility of the planned machine were additional important factors.

After researching the available brands and models, the high-specification CMM that best matched the company’s demanding criteria was a Mitutoyo Crysta-Apex EX 1200R equipped with a Renishaw Revofive-axis scanning probe head. Offering anXYZ capacity of 1200 x 2000 x 1000mm, the Mitutoyo CMM was able to accommodate even the largest of Fort Vale’s components.

Fort Vale director Andy Bryce says: “Since its installation, our Mitutoyo CMM has become the main workhorse of our quality department. As well as its impressive accuracy specification that allows the inspection of our highest-precision, tightest-tolerance parts, the CMM’s impressive speed of action and automated CNC operation, means that it is able to process impressive volumes of inspection work each day.”
For further information www.mitutoyo.co.uk

Work starts on aerospace innovation facility

Industry, academia and government leaders gathered in Sheffield earlier this month to break ground for a University of Sheffield AMRC innovation facility and research project led by Boeing. The Composites at Speed and Scale (COMPASS) research facility will house the Boeing-led Isothermic High-Rate Sustainable Structures (IHSS) project dedicated to developing and testing new technologies needed to meet future demand for lighter commercial aircraft and help the aviation industry reach net zero by 2050.

The combined £80m COMPASS facility and IHSS project, announced earlier this year in partnership with Loop Technology and Spirit AeroSystems, will initially create around 50 jobs in South Yorkshire and, based on aircraft demand forecasts, has the potential to create up to 3000 UK jobs long-term and around £2bn annually in export opportunities.The facility will be complete by the end of 2024.
For further information www.amrc.co.uk

New Bruderer installs reach record levels

A UK manufacturing boom has helped press manufacturer Bruderer UK secure its biggest pipeline of new machine orders for years. The company, which employs 12 people at its factory in Luton, recently installed its seventh new high-speed press in the past 12 months, a 50% increase on the same stage last year.

Managing Director Adrian Haller believes interest in Bruderer UK’s technology and technical know-how is soaring thanks to a concerted reshoring drive that is seeing supply chains shorten after the pandemic and domestic manufacturing becoming increasingly competitive with low-cost countries.This has seen customers from the automotive, electrification, aerospace, medical, food and construction sectors engage in a host of turnkey projects that will involve the installation of complete production lines.

Engineers from Bruderer are currently installing full turnkey high-speed press lines (from 25 to 50 tonnes) inclusive of tooling, servo feeders, decoilers, multi-way rewinders, vision systems and press and tool monitoring systems.

“There’s a real resurgence taking place and we need to talk about it more: orders are up, investment is up, and industry is desperately crying out for more workers,” explains Adrian Haller.“UK industry is bouncing back from the shackles of the pandemic. We tend to be a good barometer for the health of the sector and, while our refurbishment and repair work has always been strong, this is definitely our biggest year for a long time for new machine installs.”

The company’s range focuses on the BSTA series with a nominal force of 18 to 250 tonnes and a stroke rate range of between 1 to 3000 strokes per minute.In other news, Bruderer will have its largest-ever presence at MACH 2024 (Birmingham NEC, 15-19 April) as part of the new MMMA Sheet Metalworking Village.
For further information www.bruderer.co.uk

£2m press investment for SDE Technology

A Shropshire-based pressings and assemblies specialist has invested more than £2m in acquiring its largest-ever progression press.SDE Technology installed the 1000-tonne Chin Fong press and coil handling line at its Brixton Way factory in Shrewsbury, an installation that allows larger die usage and helpsbigger larger products for use in the automotive sector.

The press, which has a bed size of 4.5 x 1.8m, has capacity for over £2m of new revenue, with the management team already in discussions with larger OEMs and tier-one suppliersseeking security of supply and opportunities to de-risk the supply chain. Due to the investment, SDE Technology has created eight new jobs and safeguarded tens more.

“This is our largest-ever progression press and one of the largest in the UK automotive supply chain,” explains Richard Homden, managing director of SDE Technology.“It’s a fantastic time to invest in this new capability. Yes, there are current headwinds, but for the bold there’s also opportunities, with lots of reshoring, electrification and carbon reduction projects currently in discussion.The £2m investment will be a game-changer for our business and the West Midlands as a whole.”

SDE Technology is one of the largest manufacturers of pressings and assemblies in the UK, employing more than 130 people across its core production business and at Salop Haulage Ltd.

Chris Greenough, commercial director at SDE Technology, says: “The Chin Fong investment comes off the back of two earlier press installations, offering 100 and 200tonne capabilities.These were put in initially to deliver pressings for the white goods industry, but they could also support other tooling projects going forward.”
For further information www.sde.technology

DC Norris buys Gilwood

Gareth Harris and Chris Ratten of RSM UK Restructuring Advisory LLP were appointed joint administrators of Gilwood (Fabricators) Co Ltd on 1 November 2023 and have secured the sale of the business and its assets to DC Norris & Co in a pre-pack administration deal.
Based in Heywood, Lancashire, Gilwood is a family-run metal fabrication business specialising in pressure vessels and static process plant equipment. The 26-employee company manufactures products for a number of industries including oil and gas, petrochemicals, nuclear, and food and drink. All 26 jobs have been saved as part of the sale.
For further information www.rsmuk.com