INDUSTRY NEWS
King ’ s Award presentation for Brandauer
A new micron precision tooling capability has put a UK manufacturing specialist on course for its best performance in 164 years . Brandauer , which exports 75 % of the components and tools that it makes to 26 countries , made the announcement during the presentation of its King ’ s Award for Innovation by Derrick Anderson CBE , the Lord Lieutenant for the West Midlands .
CEO , Rowan Crozier MBE , told the 61-strong workforce and high-profile guests that the accolade had helped it secure more than £ 1.2m of new orders , including its first four-module progression tool , a first tooling design advisory contract and a first scalable e-motor lamination stack bonding tool ( the latter is suitable for exploiting electrification ). Together , they will help the Newtown-based business touch £ 9.5m in annual sales with , it said , the increasingly realistic target of achieving £ 11m in 2025 / 26 .
“ For a West Midlands SME to win a Queen ’ s Award for international trade was special , to follow it up with a King ’ s Award in innovation is an unbelievable achievement from the team ,” explained Rowan . “ The
process is so rigorous , but an ideal opportunity to take the pulse of your business and recharge your future strategy for the next five to ten years and that ’ s exactly what we ’ ve done .”
He continued : “ Our micron precision tooling offer has been a real labour of love . However , we now have processes in place that de-risk the modular tooling route for customers , giving them the capability to produce their tools to the finest of margins and at a cost price that works . Days have also been taken out of production lead times and I ’ m delighted to say that 15 customers , from eight different sectors , have already signed up and are using tools made in this way .”
Significant investments
2024 has been a whirlwind period for Brandauer , with more than £ 4m invested in new high-speed Bruderer UK and Yamada presses , an additional , new 1-micron capable wire EDM machine , a laser micro-cutter and a new rapid prototyping area .
There has also been a complete reorganisation of its 50,000 square-foot production facility . This is one of the most transformational projects that it has ever completed , with over 45 pieces of equipment moved to create a fit-for-purpose manufacturing hub that will support the company ’ s growth for the next three to five years .
“ Initial data suggests a 15 % efficiency gain , with certain lines running at up to 250 % quicker outputs ,” Brandauer told ISMR .
A focus on people
Rowan , who is a passionate ambassador for getting more young people into engineering , added : “ Whilst investment in new technology is important , so is spending more on your team and ensuring you have the right skills and the right personalities to execute the strategy . We have so much talent at Brandauer , that is not readily available in industry currently . We ’ re trying to leverage this through our apprenticeship scheme and bringing in young and eager engineers of the future , who are keen to learn from older mentors and experienced professionals . It ’ s working really well and this year has been our biggest ever intake , with six apprentices joining the business .”
The technical IP created through the micron precision tooling processes has also been captured as part of Brandauer ’ s involvement with In-Comm Training and what it dubs “ the UK ’ s first ever Precision Toolmaking Academy .” This new venture has enjoyed a successful first year , completing a cohort for JLR and laying the foundations for the roll-out of funded modular courses for SMEs in the supply chain . n
The Brandauer team celebrate the King ’ s Award with Derrick Anderson CBE , the Lord Lieutenant for the West Midlands . www . brandauer . co . uk
Strategic partnership for Hypertherm and BLM
Hypertherm Associates and BLM GROUP have announced a strategic partnership agreement aimed at expanding the market reach of their respective solutions . They will collaborate to offer solutions to customers through BLM GROUP ’ s laser cutting and tubebending systems and Hypertherm Associates ’ plasma and waterjet cutting products and software .
The partnership includes a minority stake investment in BLM GROUP by Hypertherm Associates and a commercial agreement to expand the demand generation for BLM GROUP ’ s tube bending and pipe and platecutting systems , as well as 3D robotics systems in North America and Europe .
The strategic partnership allows each company to maintain its current leadership structure , operations and other strategic priorities , allowing for continuous innovation and consistent operational management . BLM GROUP is a global family-owned company with headquarters and manufacturing facilities in Cantù and Levico Terme , Italy . Hypertherm
Associates is a 100-per cent employee-owned company based in the U . S ., with plasma manufacturing facilities in New Hampshire ( USA ), waterjet manufacturing in Minnesota and Washington ( USA ), and laser consumables manufacturing in Sasso Marconi , Italy . n
www . Hypertherm Associates . com
www . BLMGROUP . com
ISMR December 2024 / January 2025 | ismr . net | 15