Loughborough-based JC Metalworks (www.jcmetalworks.co.uk ), which was started by Jack Chauhan in his garage in 1986, has grown into a £5.3 million-turnover 72-employee company housed in a 60,000 sq ft facility.

The company offers an in-house solution for all sheet-metal sub-contracting requirements, from design and precision engineering services through to product manufacture, assembly (including electrical work and the fitting of non-metal elements such as wood and glass) and delivery.

However, the differentiating factor is its on-going investment in modern, automated manufacturing equipment that allows it to be flexible and highly responsive to customer needs.

Point-of-sale equipment is the main market served by JC Metalworks, accounting for 85% of the company’s business. Retail shelving and racking for a wide range of consumer products are key components of its business, so laser cutting is a primary process, which explains the company’s most recent investment — an FOL3015 AJ 4kW fibre laser from Kidderminster-based Amada (www.amada.co.uk).

Managing director Jason Chauhan said: “I always look to buy the best and fastest machines. We had an existing CO2 laser from another supplier, but with 90% of our business involving sheet less than 1.5mm thick, it made sense to think about investing in fibre technology.

"After thoroughly researching the market and the machines on offer, the Amada represented the best value for us in terms of manufacturing efficiency and automation.”

The FOL3015 AJ — together with its MP-F automated load/unload system — spends around 80% of its time cutting mild steel less than 1.5mm thick, although zintec, pre-galvanised steel, stainless steel and aluminium are also processed. Usually, 20-100 sheets are loaded at a time.

Mr Chauhan says: “This fibre machine is a lot quicker than our existing CO2 laser — probably two- or three-times faster, depending on the part. We are also achieving enhanced cut quality, along with less maintenance, thanks to features like automatic nozzle changing and cleaning.”

Both the machine and the beam source are made by Amada. The machine is also highly productive, with linear drives giving rapid traverse rates of 340m/min and 5g acceleration. Moreover, users can expect to save around 70% on energy costs compared with a CO2 machine.

Mr Chauhan adds: “The fibre machine has given us extra capacity, some of which we still have to fill. It is also an excellent marketing tool. All of our customers who have seen it are pleased that we are investing in the latest manufacturing technologies.”