Founded in 1946 in Stoke-on-Trent by Sam Fletcher to rewind electric motors for local businesses,
Fletcher Moorland is now a third-generation company being run by Matt Fletcher. Immediately prior to him was Malcolm Fletcher, who expanded its services to include pump, gearbox and fan repairs.
Fletcher Moorland was later one of the first companies in the UK to offer independent industrial electronic repair services; and under Matt Fletcher’s leadership, it has continued to invest and expand the services offered to a growing customer base.
Investments include a recently purchased a large flat-bed lathe from Devon-based
XYZ Machine Tools — an XYZ RLX 780 fitted with a ProtoTrak RLX control. Explaining the acquisition, Matt Fletcher said: “Traditionally, we have worked on motors that are sub 1MW, but with the advances in wind turbines we are now seeing repairs required on those that are 2-2.5MW. These machines weigh around 10 tonnes and have larger rotors and end shields, but we didn’t have equipment to process these larger parts.”
Faced with this challenge, Mr Fletcher asked Matt Sparkes — the company’s electrical/mechanical workshop manager — to find a solution that would allow them to continue to provide a first-class service to customers without having to sub-contract work out. The process of researching the market for a larger lathe culminated in two visits to XYZ’s Midlands Technical Centre in Nuneaton by shopfloor machinists and Mr Fletcher.
ProtoTrak RLX controlMr Sparkes said: “The demonstrations by John Aspinall, XYZ’s area sales manager, convinced us that the RLX 780 was the right fit for us in terms of machine size and capacity; and after seeing the ProtoTrak RLX control being used both manually and in CNC modes we knew it was the best solution for our workshop. Mr Fletcher subsequently committed to the largest capital investment in the machine shop to date.”
Fletcher Moorland is already benefiting from the XYZ RLX 780’s 3m distance between centres; and by removing the gap of the bed, end shields up to 1,090mm in diameter can be produced. Mr Sparkes also makes mention of the air-ride-assist feature that makes moving the substantial tailstock easy, while the ability to hitch it to the saddle to move it backwards and forwards to the workpiece further simplifies the machinist’s workload.
Mr Sparkes added: “The 160mm spindle bore was especially advantageous when we machined a batch of conveyor rollers, and the additional fixed steady we purchased has already proved its worth. We also feel that the ProtoTrak control is the way forward for us, allowing us to produce one offs quickly and efficiently using the conversational format it provides.”
In conclusion, Mr Fletcher said the machine shop remains a high priority for the management team. “It will not only help the company advance in the repair of rotating equipment but also provide new opportunities, such as machining parts for the food and drink industry, where a quick turnround on wear parts is essential.”