Time-served tool makers Andrew Shields and Phil Dartnall founded their mould and tool-making business, Chapter Engineering, in Durham on 1 April 2009, having been made redundant as a result of the recession.
They both had a wealth of tool-making experience; also in their favour was the fact that the firm for which they had worked was selling off a lot of its machine tools.
In six years, the partners have built their business up to the point where it is now one of the largest mould makers in the North East of England and employs 10 people, including an apprentice. It currently operates from newly refurbished, 6,000sq ft premises on the Meadowfield Industrial Estate, but it started in a unit of just 1,000sq ft in nearby Ferryhill that housed a manual mill, a manual lathe, a CNC solid-sink EDM machine and both surface and cylindrical grinders — all from the former employer.
Modifying and repairing existing tools was the mainstay of the business, and the company’s bank manager set a turnover target of £96,000 for the first year; this was exceeded by more than 40%, despite the downturn.
In the second year, the company won a contract to supply a new injection mould for the gear selector surround bezel for the Range Rover Evoque SUV — because a last-minute design change meant that the usual Chinese supplier, which used to charge just a third of typical UK prices, could not achieve the required short lead time.
Chapter Engineering took on its first employee, who made the tool in six weeks, while Mr Shields and Mr Dartnall looked after the firm’s existing customers. They consider that the decision to employ someone at that early stage was pivotal in allowing the company to expand quickly.
By the end of 2011, another member of staff had been taken on, and the firm’s premises were bursting at the seams, to the extent that its lift truck had to be left permanently outside. The lack of space prompted a move to a 3,000ft2 unit on the Meadowfield Industrial Estate, which provided enough space to accommodate the first of three Hurco vertical-spindle machining centres (VMCs).
This was a VMX30T fitted with the manufacturer’s twin-screen WinMax control; it was capable of producing everything from the largest plate to the smallest electrode. The machine is fitted with air blast through the spindle, which is used instead of coolant when milling hardened tool steels such as 52-56 HRC H13 and 60 HRC D2. Air is used because coolant would cause ‘rubbing’ and compromise the surface finish when using shallow depths of cut (20-50µm) to finish moulds.
Mr Shields said: “Phil and I previously worked at an engineering company that operated a range of mid-price machining centres, including Hurcos, and they were the only ones that never broke down, even though they were the oldest. The last thing you want when you are starting a manufacturing business is an unreliable machine tool.
“Our previous employer used to haemorrhage cash on breakdowns, new motors and replacement spindles. If that happens in the early years, it could ruin you. Our Hurco machines combine reliability with competitive price, accuracy and ease of programming at the WinMax control, which frees up our CAD/CAM department to produce more-complex 3-D cycles.”
In 2012, a smaller VM10 was acquired, again with air blast, the rationale being that it would be used to produce copper electrodes while the larger VMX30T would be devoted to plate machining. The latest relocation in September 2014 saw the factory area doubled, giving ample room for a third Hurco VMC. Installed in January 2015, the VM20i has a 1m X axis and is used for machining even bigger plates, as well as electrodes.
The next machine to be bought will be a Hurco VM10HSi with a high-speed spindle and dust extraction to produce graphite electrodes for die sinking machines — including Chapter Engineering’s Neuar C1000, which is one of the biggest spark erosion machines in the area.
Most of the electrodes produced so far at the Durham factory have been machined from copper, which is three-times more expensive than graphite. The latter material has been milled occasionally but with coolant, which is not ideal, to prevent dust entering the working environment. The expansion of the business, in both injection mould tool manufacture and press tools, has now reached the point where a dedicated graphite machining centre can be justified; this will release time on the other VMCs for tool making and sub-contract machining services.
The future for Chapter Engineering looks promising. Not only can the company undertake sub-contract work, but its core business of tool and mould making is being reshored at a quickening pace. This work, accounting for more than 90% of its turnover, comes mainly from supply chains serving automotive, medical and white-goods OEMs.
Mr Shields says that the current ability of UK tool makers to compete with China and Eastern Europe on price, while exceeding the quality of most overseas suppliers and offering far shorter lead times, bodes well for British tool making.