Black Country-based Worcester Presses (
www.worcesterpresses.co.uk) is celebrating a decade of supplying hydraulic presses in the UK by hitting a major sales milestone.
The company, which employs 14 people at its works in Dudley, has recently installed its 50th hydraulic press at PAB (Coventry) Ltd to help the latter cope with an increase in orders from the automotive and aerospace sectors.
The sheet metal and prototype specialist has opted for a Yeh Chiun 300 tonne H-Frame hydraulic press to produce pressings and metal grilles that will be used in super-cars and a number of Aston Martin models.
This machine has a relatively small footprint, and its latest control software enables programs to be stored and quickly retrieved.
This installation marked Worcester Presses’ best-ever year of hydraulic-press sales, with this type of machine now accounting for 20% of the firm’s £2.2 million turnover.
Company director Russell Hartill said: “There is a distinct lack of domestic specialists in this area of press expertise, and we are really benefitting from our decision to expand our range.
"While many of our competitors have stopped trading, we have thrived by offering customers access to a range of C-frame and H-frame models, varying from 20 tonnes right up to 2,000 tonnes.
"This is backed up by our ability to customise machines to suit specific applications, a comprehensive service package and the biggest stockholding of spares for this type of equipment in the country.
“Hydraulic presses offer great versatility and are suitable for low-, medium- and high-volume production, especially components that are used in assembly and those that are deep drawn.
"The technology has come on a lot since we first started selling them in the UK, with many of our presses now featuring touch-screen controls, improved program memory and remote access for off-site support.”