INDUSTRY NEWS
BPL makes £ 1m Chin Fong press investment
One of the UK ’ s leading sheet metalwork specialists has extended its long-term partnership with Worcester Presses with a new £ 1m investment . BPL Engineering Group , which employs 40 people at its facility on Catesby Park in Kings Norton ( UK ), has installed a 500-tonne straight-sided , twin-crank Chin Fong press to support its move into more medium and high-volume work .
The press comes with a large bed , works high up the stroke and is fitted with a onemetre , three-in-one Tomac coil line , giving it the capacity to take on large parts destined for cars , lorries and aeroplanes .
“ This latest Chin Fong model is our biggest mechanical press to date and gives us the additional capacity to take on complex progression tools in medium to high volumes ,” explained Matt Adams , Operations Director , BPL Engineering Group . “ There ’ s a lot of opportunity to service new contracts with automotive clients and this machine will hopefully help us engage in new sectors looking for complex metal stamping where we can offer bespoke tooling solutions .
“ Installation , including a new isolated pit to cut vibrations , is now complete and we ’ re looking to start running products off in the next few weeks . Four people will be trained to operate it , including several apprentices . We know what we ’ re getting with the Chin Fong … great reliability , accuracy and strong performance . However , it is the relationship we have with Worcester Presses that is the real reason we keep turning to this press manufacturer ,” he added .
BPL Engineering Group offers access to toolmaking ; press work ; five-axis laser cutting ; fabrication ; robotic welding ; assembly
( Left to right ) Russell Hartill ( Worcester Presses ) with Matt Adams , Joe Thornton ( General Manager ) and Wayne Russon at BPL Engineering Group .
and inspection services ( all in prototype to production capability ). It produces prototype parts and medium and high-volume components that are eventually used in cars manufactured by Aston Martin , Lotus and JLR , whilst the last few years have seen a major increase in the amount of work carried out for clients involved in aerospace , defence , medical and rail sectors .
Russell Hartill , managing director of Worcester Presses , commented : “ We have known BPL since 2016 when Matt and Mick Adams had a requirement for a 300-tonne hydraulic . Since then , we have done a further five presses including a 600-tonne hydraulic and now this large 500-tonne progression set-up . All of this reinforces the success of the partnership . None of these machines have been off-the-shelf . The company had a specific production requirement or an opportunity , and we ’ ve worked closely with them to identify the best press and coil line supported with installation , training and ongoing servicing .”
Worcester Presses has seen sales for its range of hydraulic / mechanical presses and ancillary equipment rise by more than 50 % since the COVID-19 pandemic . A significant part of this growth has come from the firm ’ s ability to tailor its standard equipment range to suit customer need , offering turnkey packages that include coil lines and tool protection and monitoring software . Thanks to investment in CNC machining and the recruitment of two engineers , its Dudley factory also has the capability to provide a spares and repairs service . n
www
. bpl-group . co . uk
www . worcesterpresses . co . uk
Steel tubes for e-methanol production
German manufacturer , BUTTING , recently received a piping package , ordered via a partner in the steel-stockholding trade , for an ambitious project in Scandinavia .
“ It is the largest project currently under construction for an e-methanol production plant in Europe . The plant is expected to produce several thousand metric tons of e-methanol per year and will go into operation as early as 2025 . For us , this means completing the project in a short space of time ,” outlined the manufacturer .
The scope of delivery includes pipes made of materials 1.4307 , 1.4541 and 1.4571 in sizes ranging from DN 150 to DN 500 . To be able to deliver on time , longitudinally welded stainless steel tubes are taken from
BUTTING ’ s widely diversified warehouse and processed according to the project specifications : Special markings and chamfers on the pipe ends are applied mechanically and the quality is confirmed by extended acceptance tests . Some pipe dimensions are customised by drawing from steel plate stock .
BUTTING ’ s products include stainlesssteel welded pipes ; clad pipes ; customised components ; spools and plant construction ; vessels , tanks and apparatus as well as assemblies .
E-methanol is a sustainable alternative to fossil fuels , which are currently still used to power large ships . E-methanol is a light fuel that is produced with the help of green electricity from wind and solar energy . The fuel enables the effective storage and transport of renewable energies and represents an important step towards the decarbonisation of shipping to reduce greenhouse gas emissions in the future . n
www . butting . com / en /
12 | ismr . net | ISMR May 2024