Fabrication expansion pays off
Ladbrook can now deliver a complete product or sub-component
Specialist pressed metal part subcontractor Ladbrook puts its recent best ever financial results down to expanding its fabrication and assembly capabilities.
Ladbrook manufactures mechanical assemblies for a range of industries including automotive, hi-tech and medical sectors.
"Although high volume pressed metal parts is our main business, we can now offer a much more comprehensive service to our clients," said Mike Blowers, Managing Director of Ladbrook Engineering. "We are now able to undertake a broad range of additional processes such as punching, folding, welding and assembly, so that we can deliver a complete product or sub-component. This approach is working very well for us and our clients."
Over the past two years Ladbrook have invested in new punch and folding, bending and forming and welding technologies along with such major investments as a CNC metal spinning machine. They have also taken on additional staff and have even initiated a new apprenticeship policy. New customer projects have ranged from enclosures for electronic road traffic signs to glass recycling machines and from paint-pots to computer electronic chassis's.
"It's been a very busy couple of years," said Mike Blowers. "We always work very closely with our clients during the early stages of a new project; to ensure the design is optimised for production, and to ensure that the final component or assembly will stand up to the demands of the real world. In this respect, it has been very demanding on our engineering team, but the result of all this effort has been a bustling factory and a healthy order book. We think that this is quite an achievement in the current climate."
Historically, Ladbrook's main business focus has been in the manufacture of both small scale and heavy duty pressed metal parts. For over 70 years, Ladbrook has been a leader in this field, manufacturing parts for household goods ranging from power showers to cookers, and from power stations to prestige sports cars.
"We have won several new and impressive clients over the past couple of years," said Mike Blowers. "I think manufacturers are now bringing work to us because they know that we understand the complexities of manufacturing high grade products in volume. They know that we have the knowledge, experience and capability to reliably deliver the parts they need."
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