Merc turns up the volume after stormy recession
Merc turns up the volume on its machining service with a third Doosan Puma mill-turn lathe
Lancashire subcontractor Merc Engineering has invested £413,000 in machinery since March this year to meet the demands of its fast-growing customer base.
Despite the economic downturn hitting the Company’s order book early in 2009, Merc’s intensive marketing campaign and investments in staff training have produced real benefits. Merc found some shelter in its niche markets of oil & gas and defence and over the past 12 months, it has also managed to win orders from new customers in industries that include Formula 1, motorsport, packaging and commercial printing.
Backed up by these results, Merc was recently awarded a £40,000 grant from Pendle Borough Council towards the cost of a Mazak SQT250 CNC lathe, and a third Dah Lih vertical machining centre. The 1020B machine with heavy-duty tool holding and spindle will allow the company to take on heavier work.
To support quality with this increasing order book, the company is will soon take delivery of a new Mitutoyo Crysta CNC CMM.
The investment in these machines took place in March this year as the company emerged from a difficult recession period, but by July it had become clear that the £177,000 spend was insufficient to support Merc’s recent growth spurt. It therefore decided to invest in three more machines worth £236,000.
The most recent acquisitions include an Agie Charmilles Roboform 30 spark erousion EDM machine and an Astec A33M high-speed EDM drilling machine to complement its existing EDM line-up.
Merc also purchased an additional Doosan Puma MX2100ST mill-turn centre. Substantial investments in similar Doosan Pumas over the past 3 years have enabled Merc to win new contracts by offering affordable one-hit machining on very complex parts that would previously have required 5 or more different setups and tool changeovers.
Says managing director Les Nuttall; “With the accuracy and rigidity of the Pumas, coupled with their complex multi-axis simultaneous machining capability, these machines are the perfect choice for Merc and its client base. We are running batches in difficult-to-machine materials such as Hastelloy X and other high-temp nickel alloys, and the capability and repeatability of the Pumas means that what might be considered very complex work can often come off in one hit. Having the 3rd machine running makes us more efficient in terms of manning the section and getting work out of the door, especially while one machine is being set up or work is being inspected.”
The two existing Puma machines have already run extremely well for Merc for the last 3 years, but when researching the latest purchase it was clear that the machines now benefit from even greater improved accuracy and repeatability figures. Specifically built for complex work, the off-centre Y-axis machining and milling of angled surfaces with the B-axis greatly increases the range of milling applications possible on one machine.
Continues Mr Nuttall; “The latest purchase from Mills is not only testament to the quality of the machine but also the prompt and professional service we receive from the Mills Team. The machines are very reliable, but any minor problems encountered are dealt with swiftly and we also negotiate training packages with all our new machines.”
The new investments and recent growth have already led to 17 new employees being recruited in 2010. The company has also had to take on 3200 sq ft of new floor space to accommodate this.
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