Established in 1856, Hartlepool-based sub-contractor JJ Hardy & Sons is continuing its policy of upgrading the equipment on its shopfloor to enable it to serve an ever-growing customer base.

At the end of 2018, an ageing lathe was replaced by a Genos L3000e turn-mill centre, built by Okuma in Japan and supplied through sole UK and Ireland agent NCMT Ltd (www.ncmt.co.uk).

The first job on the new machine involved turning and milling a batch of parts from brass bar, with each component emerging from the lathe 26% faster than before.

More recently, a batch of 400 components turned and drilled from 40mm-diameter mild-steel bar showed an almost identical time saving — from 225sec to 165sec.

Andrew Pailor, JJ Hardy’s managing director since 2002 (www.jjhardy.co.uk), said: “With material costs going up all the time, purchasing new machinery to bring cycle times down is helping us to increase our competitiveness and win new business.

"We identified a requirement for another turn-mill solution and recognised Okuma as the leading manufacturer of machinery to fill that need.

"We did not think we could afford one, but NCMT's help made it possible. The supplier’s professional service included the allocation of an engineer to lead the project, a site survey at the outset and a week’s on-site training after the machine was delivered. The relationship has developed really well.”

“The Genos L3000e is an operator-friendly machine that simplifies cleaning, filtration and maintenance. It is a one-saddle lathe that is strong and compact, ideal for cutting a wide range of exotic materials with ease.

"The integral spindle motor provides high machining capacity, while rigid guideways absorb powerful cutting forces.

"Additionally, the lathe's thermo-friendly construction automatically compensates for temperature changes on the shopfloor to maintain tight tolerances.”