FOCUS ON METALWORKING
CUTTING AND
The BLM LT7 Lasertube on the shop floor at Gresham’ s factory in Bolton( UK).
BENDING
“ With over 600 part numbers in its system, Gresham’ s manufacturing operation is complex and material usage is high. Bringing production in-house has ensured more efficient use of sheet metal, as intelligent nesting of components minimises material wastage while tube stock utilisation is also maximised.”
UK furniture manufacturer, Gresham Office Furniture, has brought all its metal furniture component manufacture in-house following the purchase of a new electric press brake and tube laser / flat-bed fibre laser cutting systems.
One of the largest independent designers and manufacturers of workspace furniture in the UK, Gresham Office Furniture, operates from a 200,000 square-foot factory on a 14-acre site in Bolton( UK). In early 2025, three more machines were installed at the site from BLM Group UK, a subsidiary of the Italian tube and sheet metalworking machine manufacturer.
The equipment supplied was a tube lasercutting machine( which joined a BLM tubebender installed seven years earlier), a flat-bed fibre laser cutting machine and an electric press brake. The installation of these systems has enabled Gresham Office Furniture to bring all metal furniture component manufacture in-house, whereas previously two-thirds was outsourced to subcontractors.
David Openshaw, Operations Manager,
Gresham Office Furniture, commented:“ The BLM acquisitions were part of a £ 7-million investment last year that also included a new enterprise resource planning system and a Homag line for processing wood-based panels, which accounted for nearly two-thirds of the spend.“ Insourcing all our metal component
Flat-bed laser cutting in progress in the BLM LS7. Mild steel sheet from 0.9-5.0mm thick is processed in the Bolton factory. manufacture has been a major benefit as Brexit, swiftly followed by COVID-19 and the start of the Ukraine war, all played into a lengthening of lead-times from our subcontractors. Gresham prides itself on quick deliveries to customers( 10-15 days from receipt of order), so we wanted total control over the supply of all office furniture
Tube laser cutting on the control screen of the BLM LT7.
24 | ismr. net | ISMR April 2026