ADVANCED MANUFACTURING SHOW PREVIEW
INCREASED CAPACITY
WEC GROUP
ANOTHER SUCCESSFUL YEAR FOR WEC
GROUP AS GROWTH CONTINUES
WEC Group, one of the UK’s largest
subcontract engineering and fabrication
companies in the UK, will be showcasing
its increased capacity at Subcon 2019 at
stand C15.
This year marks a special occasion for the
Group as it celebrates 40 years of business.
From humble beginnings in 1979, the
company has now grown into one of
the UK’s leading contract manufacturing
specialists. 2019 also marks the Group’s 9th
visit to Subcon where they will return to
exhibit the extensive subcontract services
they offer.
On the back of a series of large fabrication
contracts throughout 2018 and early 2019,
WEC has also seen an impressive increase
in staff numbers from 875 to 940 since the
last visit to Subcon.
In an effort to fuel further growth, the
Group has unveiled an ambitious £6m
investment plan. This investment will see
the first fibre tube laser installed at the
Group’s Knowsley site 5750 Components
Ltd, to mirror the success the Group has
had at its Darwen headquarters. The
Darwen site itself will also benefit from the
installation of a similar new fibre tube laser
with step loader later in the year.
The new Adige LT8.10 fibre tube lasers will
allow WEC to cut tubes, box section and
special shaped tubes or open sections up
to 8.5m in length and 240mm diameter
which is a significant increase compared
to our current offering. The machine will
come fully equipped with an improved 3D
tilting head which makes it possible to do
(± 45°) chamfers and other complex cutting
existing CO2 flatbed lasers line-up are to
be replaced with three new 4m x 2m 10Kw
fibre lasers with sheet loading automation
later in the year. This will increase cutting
capacity by 33% and massively reduce the
Group’s carbon footprint in line with the
company’s environmental aspirations.
patterns including weld prep cuts in thick
walled tubes. The Group will now also be
able to process brass, copper, & galvanized
tubes as well as complex shaped extrusions
which were previously falling outside of
their capability.
In addition to the new fibre tube laser, the
Group’s headquarters in Darwen will see
a complete overhaul as the company’s
Wayne Wild, WEC Group Commercial
Director said: “Our investments in the very
latest laser technology will enable us to
retain our competitive edge and continue
servicing our growing customer base
to the industry’s highest standards with
high processing speed and excellent part
quality on thin gauge sheets and thick
plates alike. The new machines will allow
us to minimize downtime and increase
our weekly cutting hours by a third which
should pave the way for future growth.”
The recent investments complement
the company’s already comprehensive
subcontract manufacturing line-up which
includes, waterjet cutting of almost any
material up to 200mm thick, AS9100
accredited CNC machining as well as
extensive welding/fabrication, structural
steelwork and metal finishing services such
as powder coating, wet painting and shot
blasting.
http://www.wec-group.com/
68
PECM Issue 38