When Restormel Machine Ltd was faced with the predicament of insufficient capacity and lack of financing options from the banks during the height of the recession, it appeared that the company had very few available avenues. However, a visit to the Tornos UK stand at MACH 2010 changed the situation for the Cornish company.
Jim Underwood re-setting the Tornos Delta. Result: An improved productivity of 30%!
Restormel’s Managing Director, Mr Jim Underwood visited MACH to review new technology; but with a desperate desire for additional capacity on a limited budget. Mr Underwood attended the bi-annual event with a selection of components and a budget in mind. However, visiting Restormel’s current machine tool vendors and a variety of additional machine tool companies, Mr Underwood couldn’t find the machine tool to fit his price range. A chance visit to the Tornos stand enabled Mr Underwood to find the solution for his business.
Machines tailored to the needs As Mr Underwood states: “We were familiar with the Tornos brand as we considered Tornos machines some time ago, but the capabilities were beyond our needs. At the MACH exhibition we spoke to the Swiss company and they offered us a machine less than half the price of their competitors, justified with a reduced specification that proved ideal for our component range.” Despite the perceived lower specification and reduced price tag, the Tornos Delta 20/4 the company reviewed was the most suitable machine for its parts.
Another way to produce Mr Underwood recalls one of the first jobs that Restormel transferred from its sliding head centre to the Delta 20/4: “We had an order for 30,000 spacers and we started machining them on one of our 32mm sliding head machines. However, when an urgent job came in for the 32mm machine, we transferred the parts to the Delta. The Delta cut the cycle time from 30 seconds to 21, showing it was clearly the ideal machine for the job. The reduced cycle time was a combination of faster sub spindle operation, faster rapid rates and the compact work envelope that keeps the cutting tools close to the component to minimize non- cutting time during the cycle. This combination improved productivity by 30% on this one job. At this point, it was evident we bought the ideal machine for our business.”
Tornos UK Ltd John McBride Tornos House, Garden Road Whitwick Business Park Coalville LE67 4JQ Tel: 01530 513100 [email protected] www.tornos.com
