To maintain an annual growth rate of around 10% year-on-year,
Alan Dick Engineering, based in Heysham, Lancashire, is investing in an
XYZ 2010 super heavyweight vertical machining centre (VMC) supplied by Devon-based
XYZ Machine Tools, which will open doors to new business opportunities.
Established in 1975, Alan Dick Engineering offers a wide range of sub-contract machining and fabrication services. With a ‘one stop engineering’ capability, it specialises in bespoke, quick turnround services in a range of sectors, including nuclear, offshore, marine, food, construction and the chemical industry.
This latest investment made by managing director Steve Evans, is seen by him as being a fantastic opportunity to not only support his existing customer base by offering greater capacity but also to create an opening to offer the services of Alan Dick to a wider audience.
Mr Evans said: “Over the last few years we have worked hard at continuing to grow our business 10% year-on-year but, we need to make investments in our capabilities to ensure that growth continues. This XYZ 2010 machining centre is one small part of a recent spend which has included building a dedicated fabrication workshop at the side of our main factory.”
Comprehensive range of machinesThe purchase of the 2010VMC which offers X and Y travels of 2,000 x 1,000mm complements other XYZ machines which Alan Dick already has in its workshop. When asked about the purchasing process for the machine, Mr Evans added: “We are very happy with our XYZ machines (ProtoTRAK-controlled turret mills, ProtoTRAK-controlled flat-bed lathes and a CT65 LTY), the comprehensive range of machines on offer and the service that XYZ provide.
Furthermore, the reliability of our machines has been superb, and this is born out with the XYZ CNC 4000 bed mill that we have in the workshop. This machine, which was supplied back in 1999, is still going strong and is testament to the quality of XYZ products.”
Mike Prady one of the machine operators at Alan Dick is already appreciating the advantages of purchasing this machine. He said: “It is allowing us to be more efficient in the work we do. The Siemens 828D control that is fitted with the Shopmill conversational software is taking away a lot of the programming tasks that we had to do on our old large mill. In terms of cutting performance, the BT40 spindle with its 42kW (56hp) motor has allowed us to decrease cycle times by increasing the cutting data that we can use.”
Mr Prady continued: “Where we are really seeing the savings on this machine is in the manufacture of larger parts where the Y-axis travel of 1,000mm on the machine eliminates the multi-setups we had to carry out previously. The extra handling to machine the large rings we often process added throughput time which we will now eliminate as we can produce the features from one setup. The 30-station arm type tool changer is also offering an unexpected benefit as we can hold tools in the machine to cover the common features we machine on a regular basis.”
Mr Evans concluded: “This is a large investment for our business, but I know it was the right machine to help our continued growth. I also see that it will assist us when it comes to enticing skilled machinists and young apprentices to Alan Dick by improving the appeal of working in our machine shop. All our machinists want to get on this machine to be able to gain experience on the latest technology, and although we have two apprentices working here at present, we do see the long-term future of the business best-served by developing our own staff through our apprenticeship programme.”