Machinery & Manufacturing
A UK first for VS production
Quickslide ’ s new one-of a-kind machining centre has begun operations . The first of its type in the UK , it heralds a game-changing development in the quality , efficiencies and lead times for the production of vertical sliders , as Managing Director Ben Weber explains .
As part of a planned £ 2.7m investment scheme , Quickslide has taken delivery of a new bespoke Schirmer machining centre from Winmac , which will now become an integral part of its VS production . It ’ s the latest step in the leading PVCu sash window manufacturer ’ s phased plan to increase levels of automation at its Brighouse production plant , to achieve consistent and sustained improvements to quality and capacity while extending its flexibility to develop future new product offerings .
“ At £ 1.5m this is our biggest investment to date ,” says Managing Director Ben Weber . “ We ’ re a growing company and as such we ’ re always looking for ways to improve our services and products .”
Automation benefits for all “ Since covid there has been a big increase in the cost of raw materials and in particular steel . This new machining centre enables us to really optimise our material use to help mitigate this , as well as having many other benefits for our efficiencies . For example , we currently have six people employed on the reinforcing process – automating this means they can now be redeployed elsewhere where they are most valuable .”
The machining centre comes with two milling stations as opposed to Quickslide ’ s one currently . “ Which , when you fabricate a window like a VS – which is available with so many complex features – will really increase our capacity for truly authentic heritage VS ,” explains Ben , “ particularly when it comes to mechanical joints . And it means we can do so without adding to our lead-time .
“ Because we ’ ve always been clear at Quickslide : we ’ re not here to sell windows , we ’ re here to make sure our trade partners can . Repeatability of excellent quality and quick lead times have a direct impact on the success of our trade partners ’ businesses .”
Tackling the practicalities
Getting to this point has been no mean feat ; nothing like this machine currently exists in the UK . Quickslide began talking to Winmac back in April 2021 , bought the machine in December that year and took delivery in May 2023 . As a practical endeavour , it took three days and six large lorries to bring it over from Germany , another week to assemble it and then four weeks putting it into commission .
“ Our software supplier Business Micros even had to build reinforcing into their software , because the machine is so advanced and unlike any off-the-shelf cutting centre ,” says Ben . “ Building such reinforcing into the software isn ’ t straightforward – there are lots of elements to think about such as steel types , steel positioning and screw positioning for example .
“ So many people have been involved at so many levels to get the machine here and up and running , and now we ’ re delighted to be at the point where it ’ s part of our production .”
Knock-on effects of upgrading
It was just three years ago that Quickslide bought its previous Schirmer cutting centre . That will now be moved into its PVCu casement production , where it will help increase material optimisation by 12-15 %.
“ Currently our milling process in casements is offline – moving it to the cutting centre means the machine will use offcuts more efficiently than doing it manually can .” says Ben . “ We call this ‘ dynamic batch optimisation through off cut utilisation ’ but , in simple terms , it just means we ’ ll waste a lot less profile . Which is better for us , better for our customers and better for the planet .
“ Quickslide is a business for the longterm , and we think and plan ahead as such . Further exciting developments will be announced later this year , including more developments for VS at our Brighouse HQ .
“ We were recognised as Best Fabricator of the Year in 2022 . We are incredibly proud of that and we know what we need to do to maintain our place as the leading supplier for our customers , particularly when it comes to heritage-style PVCu vertical sliders .”
www . quickslide . co . uk
94 JULY 2023 CLEARVIEW-UK . COM