Hydro Components recently invested £9.6m in the refurbishment and re-opening of its manufacturing plant based in Bedwas, Wales.

This work involved the introduction of three Mecal Kosmos four-axis machining centres and one Mecal Geos MDT five-axis machining centre, the first of its kind in the UK, along with the restructuring of the entire plant. All four machines were supplied by Addison Saws.
“At first, Hydro needed to outsource the CNC machining element as issues with their previous machinery meant they lacked the functionality to produce the parts themselves,” recalls Mike Grogan, Addison Saws’ regional sales manager. “Hydro began to use a local subcontracting company operating three Mecal Kosmos machining centres, which were ideal for producing the required parts. However, it soon became apparent that bringing the operation back in-house would be more beneficial in terms of turn-around time, overall cost and allowing greater control over the manufacturing process.”
After the successful installation of the Kosmos machines, Hydro’s production manager at the Bedwas plant was interested in setting up a single step automated production line, eliminating the need for the company’s additional saws. And, after in-depth discussions, Hydro placed an order for the new five-axis MC 302 Geos MDT 8.6 m CNC machining centre.
Addison Saws then flew key members of the Hydro production team out to Mecal’s factory in Italy to view the machine in action. Along with seeing the factory, the management team was reassured knowing that the Mecal software could handle the bespoke program required for complex parts.
For further information https://addisonsaws.co.uk/