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“At that time, ‘tried and tested’ would be the most complimentary way of describing our manufacturing methods,” says Cymarc’s managing director, Mark Hooton. “With traditional power presses at the heart of our operations, we were finding business increasingly tough – not least because of low cost imports, notably from China and India.

“Things really came to a head following the Rover crash. It was clear that several things needed to change dramatically if we were going to survive, let alone prosper in this new economic reality.”

Further attempts at diversification failed to deliver the levels of business required to assure Cymarc’s future, so Hooton took the bold step to fight back using technology to improve his company’s competitiveness. Within weeks, a Trumpf Trumatic laser profiler was on order from Worcester-based machine supplier, Severn Manufacturing Ltd.

“This is a very capable machine, easily able to process up to 13 mm thick steel plate,” notes Hooton. “But, in order to make the most of its potential, we decided to equip it with a Genesis CAD/CAM system from Radan. Although billed as the company’s entry level package, the software’s wealth of functionality has paved the way for us to streamline production, cut our costs and improve competitiveness, virtually at a stroke.”

It has also opened up new opportunities for Cymarc. While traditional presswork business continued to decline, the Trumpf-Radan combination enabled the company to capitalise on its proven track record for producing quality parts on short lead times.

“The Radan system’s ease of use and flexibility allowed us to progress from absolute beginners to highly proficient users in just a few months,” Hooton explains. “The system’s accuracy is unbelievable; giving us the confidence of knowing that if the part is correct on screen, it will be correct in production.”

One of the system’s key benefits is that Cymarc no longer needs bespoke press tooling for specific jobs. Part geometry can be easily defined – either by importing CAD drawings directly into the CAD module or by using its geometry creation tools – and then converted to the required profiling program at the touch of a button.

“It means that we can be into production in minutes rather than weeks and there’s no tooling costs to be amortised into the piece part price either,” says Hooton. “Our new method of working has enabled us to build on our reputation of delivering on our promises – something that is underlined by the amount of new business we have gained through existing customer recommendation.”

This new competitiveness is also reflected in Cymarc’s high customer retention rates, and the fact that the company’s turnover has grown by more than 70% during the past 12 months.

Hooton believes that the Trumpf-Radan combination is central to his organisation’s ability to respond rapidly to customers’ demands. This, in turn, has generated additional work for other areas of the company, notably its welding, fabrication and assembly facilities.

A further benefit cited by Hooton is that the new system is just as suitable for low volume batches as it is for extended production runs. Furthermore, the Radan software’s in-built nesting capabilities enables mixed parts to be accommodated easily on a single raw material sheet.

The overall effect of Cymarc’s CAD/CAM investment can be seen in its increasing order book for customers such as the Ministry of Defence, JCB and Caterpillar. Other signs of the company’s improved fortunes include a recent investment in a CNC press brake to further streamline workflow though the factory.

Reviewing the progress made by Cymarc during the past two years, Hooton is quick to acknowledge the benefits that the new technology has brought.

“It’s no overstatement to say that the system has been instrumental in turning the company round. When Rover collapsed we were really ‘looking down the barrel’. Now everyone in the company has greater job security, not least because we know we can compete with suppliers from anywhere in the world.

“Right now, I’d like to invest in a second Radan-controlled laser profiling machine – simply because it would enable us to capitalise even more on the business opportunities that advanced CAD/CAM technology can bring.”

www.cymarc.co.uk