Coventry-based aerospace supplier Arrowsmith Engineering (www.arrowsmitheng.co.uk) is investing in automation to help it capitalise on the 20% growth it has seen over the last 12 months.

The company, which is part of the ASG Group, has invested over £200,000 in a new Doosan four-axis machining centre and robotic cell that will increase its capacity by 50%.

The company is using ‘lights out’ manufacturing to produce a precision engine part 24hr a day, seven days a week, and supply more than 200 components every month to customers based in Spain and the USA.

Integrating robots has freed up a second machine to focus on new contract wins that have seen turnover soar to £7.5 million and the workforce expand to 70 people.

Managing director Jason Aldridge said: “I’m a big fan of automation, and I do not sign up to the notion that it is taking jobs. If anything, it will make us more competitive, so we can take additional people on.

“The Doosan CNC machining centre and collaborative robot system (cobot) is our first investment in robotics; it has been configured to suit our specific requirements for 24hr manufacturing on a complex component for the aerospace sector.

“It has removed the need for an operator to load and unload the parts, and this person has gone on to a different production process that is more skilled.

“This is just the start of what we hope will be a continuous investment drive in robots.”