Gaining an ‘employment edge’ at Gateshead College

Following a successful tender submission, Bristol-based MACH Machine Tools, part of the Vigilance Group, and a supplier of high-quality CNC and manual machine tools and machine shop equipment to UK and Irish component manufacturers as well as further education (FE) and higher education (HE) institutions, recently fulfilled a contract to supply Gateshead College with four new high-performance CNC machine tools, all equipped with the advanced DynaPath CNC control.

This latest machine tool investment at the college is seen an integral part of a wider strategic modernisation and refurbishment programme to upgrade the machining capacity and capabilities of its engineering workshop which is located at its Skills Academy for Automotive, Engineering, Manufacturing and Logistics Campus site. It will transform the facility into a world-class engineering training site, providing students and trainees with a distinct ‘employment edge’.

The four machines — a MACH MDS 900-4T toolroom mill, a MACH MDS 845-8T three-axis vertical machining centre, a MACH MDL 1600 flat-bed lathe with driven tooling, and a recently launched MACH MDS 202 slant-bed lathe, were installed last month. They are now residing in a purpose-built, CNC-designated area within the revamped engineering workshop facility, which not only boasts an inspection zone with advanced coordinate measuring machine (CMM) technology, but also features a ‘linked’ training room, equipped with a suite of six Wi-Fi enabled touchscreen tablets (also supplied by MACH Machine Tools as part of a sponsorship arrangement), where students and apprentices can learn and practice their CAD/CAM and off-line programming skills, in class or remotely, using the DynaPath control and attendant Fusion software.

Impressive and well-resourced workshop
Literally a stone’s throw away from where the new CNC machines are installed is the manual machine tool area with eight manual lathes and eight milling machines, and a ‘soon-to-be-completed’ industrial robot and automation zone. The workshop is impressive, well-resourced and is packed with technologies that are used by advanced manufacturers in the local area and around the UK. The layout of the workshop has been carefully designed to resemble a modern, dynamic machine shop.

Charlotte Brass, Gateshead College’s curriculum leader for apprenticeships and HE, said: “The workshop certainly looks the part and the recent investments made in CNC machine tools, CMM technology and CAD/CAM mean our students and trainees now have access to a world-class training facility. Our objective was always to create a workshop that mirrored and replicated, where possible, the machining facilities available in many advanced engineering companies (OEMs, Tier One companies, precision subcontractors etc.,) in the area, and across the UK. I believe we have achieved that goal.”

Gateshead College’s rationale behind the redevelopment of its engineering workshop include: making careers in engineering more attractive and appealing to young people and adults; engaging and collaborating more effectively with local employers and employers’ associations to ensure that the college’s engineering curriculum is relevant to industry needs; and equipping students and trainees with practical and transferable vocational skills, and recognised qualifications, to help address skills shortage challenges faced by engineering employers.

Attracting high-calibre students
However, critical to Gateshead College’s ability to attract high-calibre students onto its courses and to increase local engineering employers’ participation and involvement, invariably centres on the quality, and the depth and breadth, of its in-house training facilities. Graham Stouph, Gateshead College’s head of department for automotive and engineering, said: “To put it bluntly, if the technology and equipment we are using to train students doesn’t match up with what is being used in the world of work – there is a problem — and a credibility gap that is difficult to bridge is the result.”

In early 2024, Gateshead College embarked on completely modernising and revamping the engineering workshop with the aim of transforming the practical and skills-based content of its full-time and part-time engineering courses and its engineering apprenticeship programmes.

The redevelopment project was headed up by Gateshead College’s curriculum leader Charlotte Brass. She said: “Typical class sizes dictated that we no longer needed 16 manual machines, and that eight machines — four milling machines and four lathes — would suffice in the future. The decision to replace our four Siemens-controlled machine tools was market-led and reflected the ‘situation on the ground’ that very few of our local employers used or had Siemens-controlled machines in their machine shops. In fact, he majority of employers use Fanuc-controlled machines, and ISO programming is the norm rather than the exception.”

As part of the investment process a detailed tender, inviting potential suppliers to submit detailed proposals for the supply, delivery, installation, training and support of four new CNC machine tools — two CNC lathes and two CNC milling machines —ˆ was prepared and advertised. In addition to supplying the four new machines, the tender also required the successful bidder to decommission, remove and safely dispose of the four Siemens-controlled machines and 16 manual machines from the workshop. Mr Stouph added: “We wanted to part-exchange the older machines to help fund the new CNC machine tool investment.”

As part of the College’s robust procurement procedures an extensive evaluation process was followed after the submissions’ closing date, with every tender invitation reviewed against the published evaluation criteria and weightings, to determine the most economically advantageous and best-value submission.

MACH Machine Tools, tender response was successful due to the the diversity of its machine tool range and the quality, price and availability of the machine tools Gateshead College selected, and the level of service and support, including delivery, installation and training provided.

Good impression
Charlotte Brass explained: “We first met representatives from MACH Machine Tools on the company’s stand at MACH 2024 and this gave us a good overview of the DynaPath control and the machine tool technologies they provided. Furthermore, MACH MT’s knowledge and experience of working in the FE and HE sectors left a good impression on us and put the company in a strong position in the tender process.

“We made the decision to invest in the four different MACH CNC machines as we wanted to broaden and enrich our students’ learning experiences and provide them with practical skills from working on different types of advanced machine tools typically used by our local employers. MACH Machine Tools’ sister company, Machine Tool Sales Online (MTSO), provided a competitive quote for the disposal of our older machines, and their removal plus the installation of the four new machines, was quick and seamless.”

The four new machines are all equipped with the advanced DynaPath CNC control system which features a large memory (8GB) and impressive block look-ahead capabilities — the system is flexible and can be used for ISO G-code programming or conversational programming. Additional flexibility is provided via a DXF reader/editor capability, and the system’s remote Wi-Fi enabled remote monitoring, diagnostics and support facility helps guarantee machine uptime and trouble-free operation. DynaPath is powerful, versatile and easy-to-use and is an innovative control system that is ideal for relative CNC novices through to seasoned professionals.

With on-site staff training to be completed in the next few days, Gateshead College’s four new MACH machine tools will soon be up and running ready for staff, students and trainees to access although, they will really come into their own from September 2025 – when the new academic years starts.

Mr Stouph concluded: “We are delighted with our investment in MACH machines and with our recently forged partnership formed with MACH Machine Tools. Our workshop, I am confident, will impress local employers and make them even more confident about the skill levels and calibre of our students and trainees.”