FOCUS ON PRECISION ENGINEERING
productivity and , in A view of the Bystronic tube laser cutting machine in Drumfries , which is addition , the machine capable of processing stock of up to 305mm in diameter x 12.5 metres long . does not draw as much power ( 7.5kW instead of typically 30kW for a large press brake ), so electricity bills are lower . The acquisition was so successful in raising the profitability of smaller component production that , two years later , the folding department added the next larger model in the Xpert range with 1.5 metres / 80 tonnes of capacity
“ Smaller firms may struggle to finance the acquisition top-end machines , but only by doing so is it possible to obtain high quality coupled with competitive cost-per-part production . Accuracy in all areas of machining is essential to avoid time-consuming fitup difficulties , especially when producing assemblies ( which accounts for two-thirds of our throughput ) and the same applies in our customers ’ factories ,” he added .
“ Inishowen Engineering ’ s € 30 million investment allows us to leverage the advantages of high precision combined with competitive pricing and is a clear statement of our intention to become one of the foremost one-stop-shop fabricators in Europe ,” concluded McKinney . n
McKinney estimates that output from the two smaller machines is up by 30 to 50 per cent
However , half of all profiled sheet that is folded in the factory is less than one metre in length . It was the reason for the purchase in 2015 of an Xpert 40 one-metre , 40-tonne capacity press brake that McKinney pointed out is at least one-third faster at bending smaller components than larger machines . The extra speed translates into higher
In conclusion
Summarising this phase of his business expansion programme , McKinney concluded : “ There is a trend towards OEMs downsizing their in-house manufacturing , reducing their capacity and outsourcing more assembly operations to cut costs . However , for subcontractors to win this business , they need to invest in the best and most modern production equipment to satisfy customer demand and expectation . That is why we have standardised on Bystronic laser cutting and folding machines since buying our first C0 2 BySprint in 2007 .
Laser-cut and folded bracketry for a fork-lift truck .
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