Founded in Whitstable in 1974 by Alan and Carole Hoskins, Alca Tools Ltd (www.alcatools.co.uk) is now run by their sons Andy and Steve. The company moved to its current premises in Herne Bay in 1991, and it now has Sumitomo Electric Hardmetal as a strategic partner in product application support.

Andy Hopkins says: “Our relationship with Sumitomo does not limit the range of tooling products available through us, and it adds to the in-depth application knowledge of our engineering team. As a result, we can maximise the return on any cutting cycles where Sumitomo tools are being used — especially when difficult materials, complex cycles or time-critical processes are involved.”

When a customer machining difficult aerospace materials was under pressure on margins, Alca Tools suggested changing the grade and type of insert used (from two corners to four); this immediately reduced insert usage and down-time. “From the material being machined and the application, our engineer could see that further improvements were possible and contacted Sumitomo’s area manager. The latter endorsed the changes that had been made, then went deeper into the application and was able to take a further 15% of the cost out of the process, resulting in a total saving of more than 30%.”