After winning a £1 million order to supply a critical power-steering component (a bi-metal lead frame) to KSR International, Birmingham-based Brandauer invested £200,000 in ‘state of the art’ non-contact measuring equipment: two SmartScope Vantage 300 systems from OGP UK (www.ogpuk.com).

These give the company the ability to measure and report geometric dimension and tolerancing, and they guarantee repeatable precision.

Brandauer CEO Rowan Crozier says: “Our customers choose us because we supply complex components to microntolerances, and OGP’s technology gives us a real competitive advantage. The KSR International contract is a fantastic example of two businesses working together to deliver a solution to one of the world’s largest car-makers.

“Both parties have a clear understanding of what is expected, and this led to the joint decision to house the Vantage 300s at our site in Birmingham. This gives everyone in the supply chain complete peace of mind that the manufacturing process will be ‘right first time’ and able to sustain volumes that could eventually lead into the hundreds of thousands.”

Established in 1946, KSR International is an industry leader in the design, engineering and manufacture of products for the automotive sector, including sensors, electronic throttle controls and steering control units.

Quality manager Gareth Stevens says: “Brandauer purchased two OGP Vantage machines to ensure that product precision was consistent. It was critical that we had a non-contact optical system that would integrate all of the measuring requirements of a Tier Two automotive manufacturer.

“You cannot put a price on the benefits we’ve experienced as a result of this investment. We can ensure product precision and relay that back to our customer.”