Nestled in the South Downs of East Sussex, Dicker Precision Components has been quietly building a reputation for excellence in precision machining since its founding in 1973. What began as a small CNC workshop in Hailsham has evolved into a thriving machine shop with the support of machine tools from Dugard.

The company’s location near Eastbourne proves advantageous for its core market focus, as Director Mark Love explains: “Some 90% of our business is related to the pump industry and 90% of this involves machining stainless steel. The Eastbourne area is renowned for pump manufacture in the UK.”

This geographical advantage has helped Dicker Precision carve out a specialised niche serving everything from the aerospace and automotive sectors to the defence, medical and offshore sectors. To machine stainless, the company says it invests in Dugard machines for their rigidity, stability and power.

The latest acquisition, a Dugard 760XP VMC, represents both a strategic capacity increase and a technological upgrade designed to meet growing demand while improving productivity. The ‘XP’ designation refers to the direct drive spindle technology that adds power for the continuous stainless steel work that dominates Dicker Precision’s order book.

Says Brandon Love, deputy operations manager: “The direct drive spindle gives us something a bit stronger, addressing the demanding nature of machining stainless steel components for the pump industry, where precision and durability are paramount.”

A significant factor in the machine selection was the Siemens Sinumerik 828D control system, which maintains consistency across Dicker Precision’s machine shop.

“We run our other machines with Siemens, so it just makes sense for consistency and quick turnaround,” he adds. “It’s just so much faster to just keep all the CNC control panels the same.”

More information www.dugard.com