UK manufacturer ‘wheely’ impressed with Fanuc servicing

Thanks to its service agreement with Fanuc, The Walsall Wheelbarrow Company is confident that it can reliably deliver the quality craftsmanship that customers have come to expect from this proud British brand. Since switching to Fanuc to provide servicing for its fleet of 14 robots, the business has discovered the discernible difference that preventative maintenance and thorough servicing can make to production continuity and the ability to guarantee timely fulfilment of orders.

Britain’s most iconic name in wheelbarrow manufacturing, The Walsall Wheelbarrow Company, was founded in 1995, but its true origins date back to the 1940s, when Fred Thacker crafted his first wheelbarrow. Fred’s son, Les, modernised the design and, together with his family, established the company to ensure every wheelbarrow remained a product of British craftsmanship.

Today, this legacy of quality lives on through a manufacturing process that blends tradition and cutting-edge technology. Fully automated press lines, robotic welding and automated tube bending ensure every barrow is built to the highest standard. Embracing robotics and automation has been the key to keeping this proud tradition British, enabling the company to innovate and secure contracts with some of the UK’s largest garden centres, merchants and retailers.

Jonathan Thacker, operations director at The Walsall Wheelbarrow Company, said: “We are the only manufacturer to make the whole wheelbarrow here in the UK – other companies import parts, whereas we make everything apart from the tyres and inner tubes.”

Fast cycle times
Fanuc robots are a linchpin of this precision operation. The Walsall Wheelbarrow Company has 14 in totaln — 11 R-2000iA models and three ARC Mate welding robots. The six-axis R-2000iAs combine fast cycle times with high payload capabilities, making them ideal for the pick and place tasks they perform. The ARC Mate series is designed specifically for high-speed cutting and welding applications, so this was the obvious choice when it came to purchasing robots to weld wheelbarrow frames.

The Walsall Wheelbarrow Company originally had a contract with a third party company to service its robot fleet but was growing increasingly dissatisfied with the level and quality of support it was receiving. Mr Thacker added: “We were concerned that in the event of any of the machines going wrong, the support simply wasn’t there to get us back up and running quickly. We make everything on site to order, so we don’t keep stocks of parts for long periods. If one part of the process goes down this could have a massive impact on our production continuity.”

The company approached Fanuc to see what it could offer and was pleasantly surprised by the breadth, scope and robustness of its service contracts, which are designed around a preventative maintenance approach.

Emma Harris, Fanuc UK’s customer service sales manager at Fanuc UK, said: “The goal of a successful preventative maintenance programme is to establish consistent practices that will improve the performance and safety of equipment. Moreover, planned maintenance will extend mean time between failure [MTBF] and avoid unplanned downtime. Underpinned by our promise to provide lifetime support on all of our products, Fanuc’s preventive, predictive and corrective service packages are carefully designed to achieve all of these objectives.”

Superior servicing standards
The Walsall Wheelbarrow Company took out a three-year contract under which Fanuc engineers perform annual checks of each system. During these visits, they carry out a thorough inspection of robot and controller condition, teach pendant cable, internal harness and robot connectors. They assess the robots for excessive noise and vibration, and check cable connections, cooling fans, power supplies, transformer tappings and emergency stop operation.

Also covered by the service agreement are: controller memory back-up; grease analysis and greasing; replacement of RAM and APC batteries; and repeatability testing. After each visit, Fanuc provides a full service report, detailing findings and making recommendations where applicable.

Since switching to Fanuc, The Walsall Wheelbarrow Company has repeatedly been impressed by the meticulous and comprehensive servicing support it has experienced. Mr Thacker explained: “Under this contract, our robots get a full MoT and a thorough clean and we get an in-depth report stating what needs to be replaced or upgraded. With the company we used previously, we never got anything like this.”

As well as benefitting from scheduled maintenance support, The Walsall Wheelbarrow Company has derived value from having access to a rapid, responsive callout service and sound engineering advice from robotics experts.

Mr Thacker continued: “We have complete confidence that when we call Fanuc, the company will send professional engineers who know what they are doing and are able to give us the advice we need to get our production quickly up and running again. Knowing we can call on Fanuc and immediately access this kind of support gives us complete peace of mind.”

He concluded: “Being able to guarantee exceptional service and quality workmanship is instrumental to maintaining our position as Britain’s leading wheelbarrow manufacturer. It also gives us a solid foundation from which to continue evolving through innovation, ensuring that British-made products remain at the forefront of the industry.”