Historic UK manufacturer invests in precision press

Pictured left to right: Whitton Precision’s Michael White with Bruderer UK’s Scott Baker

Wimbledon-based Whitton Precision Ltd, the UK’s last surviving producer of British standard crinkle washers is powering up for a new era of growth with £120,000 investment. The family-owned precision pressed parts specialist has invested in a Bruderer BSTA 25H high-performance automatic punch press in a move set to increase production speeds and unlock capacity for new aerospace and defence projects.

Founded 77 years ago by Leonard White and William Tonks, the company has quietly underpinned many of the biggest names in UK engineering. Today, under the leadership of Len’s grandson Michael White, the business is combining its heritage with cutting-edge technology supplied by Telford-based Bruderer UK to deliver critical components for a variety of clients from FTSE 100 aerospace giants to a wide range of OEMs requiring custom-pressed parts.

Michael said: “When some of our key plant was starting to show its age, we took the view that developing our capability was more advantageous than like-for-like replacement. My desire to produce the ultimate precision pressings, at speed, led me to contact Bruderer UK and sit down with the technical team to go through our production requirements. Importantly, we also took our most popular crinkle washer tool to Bruderer’s facility to prove it out on the BSTA 25H and we were blown away by the results, with production up to five-times quicker than our old press.”

The Bruderer BSTA 25H delivers 25 tonnes of press force, a 530mm press bed, and stroke rates up to 1,500 per min. Equipped with a BBV202 feeder and press and tool protection systems, the new line provides Whitton Precision’s skilled operators with real-time production data and ultimate control over quality.

In a different league
Michael enthused: “The machine is brilliant - coming from the world of C-frame presses, it is in a different league. When forming a precision component at bottom dead centre (BDC), precise control and repeatability of the ‘ram’ shut height is critical. The BSTA 25H is outstanding when setting tools and runs all day without variance. The Bruderer UK team were not only excellent but also very patient throughout the decision-making process and the overall level of support they offer, I believe, is unparalleled in the UK press market — to a small team like us, this was really invaluable.”

Founded by two young toolmakers who cut their teeth building the fighter planes of the second world war, Whitton Precision initially produced belt buckles, watch dials and ladies’ powder compacts. Over the following years, the company evolved into a supplier of pressed industrial components with the Ford Motor Company and the Ministry of Defence among its biggest clients.

In the early 2000s, Len’s two daughters steered the business through the recession and later Brexit, also achieving the prestigious AS9100 aerospace accreditation that cemented its reputation in one of the world’s most demanding supply chains. With the third generation of the family now at the helm, the Wimbledon factory is steadily being upgraded and the latest Bruderer machine will help it position itself as a cornerstone of UK-made, high-quality, precision pressed parts.

Scott Baker, technical sales manager at Bruderer UK, said: “Whitton Precision is an excellent example of how SMEs can thrive by embracing our precision press technology, coupled with our wealth of technical ‘know-how’. We worked closely with Michael and the team to analyse production, identifying the BSTA 25H as the perfect fit. It builds on their existing capacity while enhancing almost every aspect of the process - delivering greater speed, accuracy and consistency. It has already proved a wise decision, freeing-up capacity, operator involvement and helping the business take on additional work, essential if Whitton is going to meet its desire to expand.”

He concluded: “Importantly, we proved performance on a current component at our Telford facility, and this gave the company confidence to make the investment. This is a growing service that is proving extremely popular with companies.”

Bruderer UK opened its new 10,000m² ‘centre of manufacturing excellence’ in the West Midlands earlier this year. The company moved its entire operation from its base in Luton to the modern facility in Telford, which offers unparalleled access to live demonstrations of new presses, certified pre-owned machines and fully integrated turnkey solutions.