Case Studies

Paxford Engineering like many similar engineering companies across the UK does not describe itself as ‘cash rich, and as a partnership rather than a limited company raising finance to bring in new machine tools can be an issue. With this in mind Moreton-in-Marsh-based business is a terrific advocate of the XYZ Machine Tools rental scheme, ...

With its core business being turning, the milling capability at Batchflow Engineering had taken something of a back seat, but with the growth in low-volume production and prototype work, especially for the motorsport sector, Managing Director Steve Packwood recognised the need to bring machining centre capacity up to date. The decision to

The opportunity to relocate to a purpose built, 100,000 ft2 factory on the outskirts of Gainsborough provided confectionary packaging machinery and process solutions provider, AMP Rose with the opportunity to review its manufacturing processes, in particular its machine shop. AMP Rose apprentice Thomas Gander is at home programming and ...

Family-owned M&J products started life in fabrication, producing architectural ironwork for industrial and domestic customers over 35 years ago. The natural progression was then to move into sheet metal work, where they carved out a reputation for producing computer room racking, among other things. While fabrication and sheet metal work

The beginnings of Investment Casting Systems is a fairly familiar one, with founder Ted Head turning his Mechanical Engineering Design and Manufacturing expertise  and professional model making skills into the successful Engineering business that it is today. Starting out in his garage with a bench lathe and small 30” x 6” milling machine,

As you would expect from the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC) Coventry, with its stated aim of ‘inspiring Great British manufacturing, on the global stage’; when it created its Lloyds Bank Advanced Manufacturing Training Centre (AMTC) it wanted to deliver the best in terms of skills development. It is achieving this through the ...

Having worked in his father’s business manufacturing bespoke motorcycle swinging arms for 25 years, Dean Ryde took the decision to take on a new challenge and strike out on his own. In July 2016 he registered his new business, Billet World, and in September took delivery of his first machine tools and started to cut metal. As the company ...

At the height of the financial crisis Darren Pierce found himself facing redundancy from his role as a Tooling Project Manager in the food and drink sector. Unfazed by the state of the economy he took the decision to start his own toolmaking business, even returning to his old employer to buy his first machines. This ProtoTRAK Edge ...

Some may suggest that starting a business in the aftermath of the 2008 financial crisis may not be the best idea, but this is exactly what Pete Ivings did. After working in the machining departments of a number of Formula One teams, his precision machining business, Lightning Machining, is now a supplier of parts to over half of the F1 ...

The workshop of the University College of London’s Electronic and Electrical Engineering department has been ranked as a leader in that subject in the UK, in terms of research outputs. Supporting that success is a dedicated workshop that designs & manufactures a diverse range of experimental components, from a wide range of ...

When, in 1993, XYZ Machine Tools introduced the ProtoTRAK control system to the UK, it was revolutionary due to its ease of use and plain English programming system. Of course being revolutionary also means a change in mind-set for customers, who up to that point had a limited choice of manual machines or highly complex, and expensive, ...

First impressions can be deceiving and this is the case at DS Machining Services. From the outside it looks like any other general sub-contract machine shop and Director, Paul Smith, downplays what the company does, describing their day-to-day work as doing anything for anybody. However, dig a little deeper and you discover that while they