There is an English figurative expression “when needs must” and in 1994 this term was exactly what Jim Lawrence had to do as the realisation that rearing pigs and cows on a small-scale farm in east Anglia was not going to be profitable. Being of a resourceful nature, Jim set up a forge in one of his farm buildings and began to manufacture items for friends and neighbours before embarking on setting up what has become the go to company for lighting and home furnishings.
From those humble beginnings in the barn creating candlesticks and chandeliers, Jim Lawrence Traditional Ironwork Ltd now resides in a facility in the market town of Hadleigh, Suffolk. This move away from the farm was mainly due to the company’s growth but, it was also driven by the fact the staff didn’t enjoy driving down a bumpy farm track to work every day. This relocation in 2000 to its current premises, allowed for the growth of the workshops, warehouse, offices and the creation of an impressive showroom to take place. Now with a headcount of over 150 people which include engineers, welders, painters, seamstresses, designers and lampshade makers, Jim stipulates that the classic, high quality products they produce wherever possible are made in the UK.
Capacity in the workshop is mainly taken up with production of parts used on the range of lighting products manufactured by the company. With the growth that the company have had to embark on, particularly during the covid epidemic when they virtually ran out of stock, Jim’s focus is firmly on making investments to ensure that productivity remains high and efficiency gains can be had to keep up with demand. That is one of the reasons that they recently approached XYZ Machine Tools to look at ways of manufacturing the housing of their popular Harbour outdoor lights more effectively. Chris Moore, Production Manager, observers “we were machining these housings in 6 operations with the added complication that they are coming from a brass casting. The aesthetics of these lights are important to our customers so ensuring that the 2 parts fit together correctly and the wiring inlets are central to the boss is of paramount importance”.
Having provided drawings and samples to XYZ, the Applications team looked at how the cycle time could be reduced and that every single one of the housings machined looked pleasing on the eye. The conclusion of the investigation was that XYZ proposed the investment in an 800 HD vertical machining centre fitted with a Nikken 5AX-201, 5-axis tilt rotary table and Renishaw OTS table mounted tool setting probe along with an OMP 40 spindle probe arrangement.
Chris continues “with the help of XYZ we have now reduced the machining of these parts to 2 operations. Having produced a fixture to hold the part on the bed for operation one, the parts are then located on a fixture which sits in the tilt / rotary table where for operation 2, we can machine not only the main face of the housing but also the features that are located around the outside all in the same set up”.
Although Jim Lawrence is not new to XYZ machines or the Siemens control fitted with Shopmill that drives the 800 HD, Richard Goodman, a CNC Setter Operator, joined the company just before the machine was installed but for him it is the first machine he has used with Siemens controls. Richard says, “the control is very easy to use, user friendly and it’s been a great experience getting to grips with the package”. As a testament to the simplicity of the control Richard has yet to receive any formal training from XYZ but the offer remains open to take that option up at any time.
This XYZ 800 HD machine has given Jim Lawrence the opportunity to increase production without taking up an abundance of space in the workshop. With a footprint of only 2440 x 3190mm but still offering axis travels of 800mm (X), 500mm (Y) and 510mm (Z), the machine accepted the Nikken table with its 200mm faceplate with ease. The machine’s spindle power of 21kW (28hp) also ensures that the materials machined for the light fittings can be removed efficiently using the 10,000-rpm maximum spindle speed and with a rapid traverse of 24 m/min, moving between the 2 fixtures located on the table has also helped to decrease the cycle time. With a 24-station arm type tool changer employing BT40 spindle tooling, exchanging tools between the new product and the existing machines aided flexibility within the workshop along with the ability to optimise the tool changing element of part production.
Chris adds “because of the nature of our business, it’s a balance between holding enough stock to be able to react to the orders coming into the company but not holding lots of inventory. The result is that in the workshop we end up running small batches rather than volume production. This set up we have on the XYZ 800 HD with its Renishaw probing capability has allowed us to set the machine up quickly to react when stock runs low. This along with the probing of the part ensures accuracy when setting a datum, has proven to be a real game changer for us”.
The efficiency gains and quality of the parts manufactured on the XYZ 800 HD are becoming even more relevant to the business. As they continue to be committed to ensuring manufacturing of their high-quality products is carried out in the UK, along with the desire to offer an excellent customer experience when purchasing one of their products either online or by visiting the showrooms in Hadleigh, Bath or the soon to be opened store in London, staying ahead of any competition is paramount and this investment is one small step that is helping Jim Lawrence achieve their goals.