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American market ( Mexico , Canada and USA ). Investment , however , could be better .
The markets recovered well after COVID downturns in 2021 then , in 2022 , the Russia-Ukraine war broke out and markets went down from May / June . We are now seeing recovery from these effects . For us , as a company , the key drivers in the sheet metal industry are below .
■ Technological advances : Innovations and advances in stamping and bending technology . For example , we introduced our Radial and Linear line in one set-up to give the customer more manufacturing flexibility . There was a good response to these machines from the European market .
Using tool standardisation , we were also able to optimise production tasks for tooling by turning out quicker designs and delivering faster and more economical tools
ISMR : What is your strategic and technical focus for the company ?
GW : We are always searching for the best way to manufacture a part . With this in mind , some of the key drivers for us have been in the areas below :
■ Speed of production : Using newtechnology servo motors , we offer customers production speeds of up to 300 parts / minute . By employing multicavity technology for some parts , we are able to produce up to four cavity tools , giving the customer the ability to produce up to 1200 parts / minute ( 300 x 4 ).
■ Modular systems : YSM can provide solutions for all the secondary operations that need to be done after stamping and bending operations . We can integrate several complex secondary operations in line with the stamping and bending operations .
ISMR : What , in your view , are important industry trends and challenges ? How are you responding to these ?
GW : There are several ongoing trends in the market , but I have highlighted a few below :
1 . Automation and robotics : Integrating automation and robotics into traditional sheet metal manufacturing processes
■ Global economic conditions : Asia has been a particularly price-sensitive market . For example , we completed a project to cut production costs to give the benefit of cost savings to our Asian customers . Using tool standardisation , we were also able to optimise production tasks for tooling by turning out quicker designs and delivering faster and more economical tools .
By focusing on these two areas , we stay ahead of the game by listening to our customer needs and adjusting our business working operations accordingly .
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