Dero Fabrication Ltd, which is well-known by suppliers of machinery to the food and pharmaceuticals sector, anticipates further growth following the installation of a fibre laser profiling machine at its 10,000ft² Worcester facility.

The company was founded in 1977 as a maintenance fabricator, but over the years it found that there was increasing pressure from customers for it to bring everything in-house.

Production manager James Taylor, whose father (John) owns the business, said: “We were spending a lot with sub-contractors to cut the sheet metal profiles, but we needed quicker turnround times, and that meant maximising the work we do
in-house.”

The company now offers its customers an ‘end to end’ service, from concept through to design, product development, prototype work and finally production. The services provided include laser cutting, assembly, welding, fabrication and finishing.

James Taylor says that the introduction of laser cutting technology in 2004 was crucial. “That was a big step for us, and it enabled us to carve out a very strong position in the food and pharmaceuticals sector.”

The move to laser has paid dividends, particularly with the increased focus by the major food producers and supermarkets on checking and weighing systems.

Dero’s sales manager, Chris Beese, said: “Food production is all about weighing, measuring, X-raying, filling and capping. The supermarkets in particular are very concerned about checking, because they need to protect their brand.

“They want protections in place to ensure that no metal enters the food chain, and that pressure has gone down the supply chain to the food manufacturers.

“We’ve been able to provide a key part of the solution — namely, the sheet metal work in the form of guards, chambers and basic shells for the metal detectors that sit on the food production lines.”

Comprehensive capability

Dero now manufactures everything from gantries and stainless-steel frames through to guards and chambers for food-processing equipment.

The company has also developed a ‘specialism’ in ultra-high-standard finishes; these are particularly valued by the pharmaceutical sector and include powder coating, galvanising, glass bead blasting, plating, anodising, chemical blacking and a number of bespoke finishes.

Mr Beese says: “For example, the pharmaceutical sector often wants a gloss finish, so we developed that capability. In fact, we are now recruiting more people to make sure we don’t have to sub-contract at all.

“That’s really the ethos of our business. We find it’s better to have control, particularly with finishes; customers don’t want sharp edges, particularly where there are lots of hands being used in the production process.”

However, on-going growth was soon putting pressure on production, and James Taylor says Dero’s 4kW CO2 laser was struggling to keep up with demand.

His answer was to acquire an Optiplex Fiber 6kW laser from Worcester-based Yamazaki Mazak UK Ltd (www.mazakeu. co.uk). “It is so much quicker,” he says.

“We were running the old machine for 10-12hr shifts, five days a week, but we are only scheduling 8hr shifts with the Mazak and getting through the same amount of work.

“In short, we’ve significantly increased our capacity — and can cut much thicker material — but still have just the one machine and one operator.

“Furthermore, with the old machine, our stainless-steel cutting topped out at 12mm, but the Mazak can cut stainless up to 30mm thick. Prior to installing the new machine, we sent this thicker material out for water-jet cutting.”

Customer and supplier

Particularly noteworthy about Dero’s relationship with Mazak is its position as not only a customer but also a supplier.

James Taylor said: “We’ve been working for — and with — Mazak for many years now, to provide support to its own factory, which is located less than a mile from ours.

“I think there is something really special about parts for one Mazak machine being made by another Mazak machine. It comes full circle and shows the quality and precision of the equipment.”

The Optiplex laser has also opened up new markets for Dero. “We have one customer that had previously relied on sub-contract water-jet cutting, prior to machining and finishing the parts in-house.

“We are taking over all of the processes and supplying a package that includes framework and cabinets. We send them ‘machine fabricated’ parts that they can simply bolt together.

“Moreover, being able to undertake thicker work in-house gives potential customers the confidence that we’ve got control of everything and have no need to sub-contract. This is particularly important in the pharmaceutical sector.”

James Taylor also comments on how quickly the operator has adjusted to the new machine. “Our laser operator was used to a different CNC system, but following training at Mazak, he picked up operating the machine very easily — despite its advanced capabilities.

“There is always a concern when you introduce new machinery, because the worst thing that could happen to us is have the laser go down. We even kept the old laser for a few months just to make sure, but overall the transfer to the Mazak was easy.

“We got a lot of training and a lot of support; ultimately, the transition was quite painless.

“Our latest acquisition to support the Optiplex is a nitrogen generation system to ensure that we always have a constant supply of nitrogen gas, allowing us to cut mild steel up to 6mm thick with no oxidised edge.

“This latest investment makes us self-sufficient, increases capacity and improves quality.”