Bottom line benefits

When a St Helens based subcontractor acknowledged that its newly acquired sliding head turning centres were unable to meet the full diameter range of the 50mm CAM autos they were replacing, the company immediately turned to Miyano and its BNE-51SY5 to solve the capacity issue. Solutions reports.

The 51mm diameter Miyano turning centre purchased by Wealdpark immediately freed up work from many of the Cam autos working outside the 32mm diameter remit of sliding heads. The 8-axis turning centre with two opposing main spindles plus lower and upper turrets with Y axis slides, instantly enabled Wealdpark to produce parts in one hit as opposed to multiple set-ups that were the norm with the CAM autos.

In virtually no time at all, the productive and flexible Miyano had replaced four Cam autos by eliminating second ops and improving cycle times whilst creating space on the shopfloor. At the time company director, Phil Smith said: “The Miyano has blown the Cam auto cycle times out of the water. The difference is that the Miyano can run for 16 hours a day without intervention whilst the cam autos need regular operator intervention. This allows us to run the machines for 160+ hours a week, despite only working a 37 hour week.”

Producing anything from inserts, connectors, plugs and plungers in batches of 10 to 10,000 for the electrical and fluidpower sectors means the Miyano is more than capable of meeting Wealdpark's needs. The simultaneous back working not only improves cycle times from the Cam autos but also some of the sliding head work. This was demonstrated when regular batches of 1,500 parts produced in two minutes were moved to the Miyano where its back working capability shaved 30 seconds off the cycle time. 

One in, ten out

When Wealdpark acquired its Miyano BNE51-SY5, it delivered all the benefits the Miyano representative said it would achieve. However, Miyano or Wealdpark had little understanding of just how much the machine would benefit the business as Mr Smith reveals: “One year on and the Miyano has delivered benefits that we could never have foreseen. For instance, the machine initially replaced four CAM autos but now this figure is closer to 10.”

He continues: “During a downturn, all businesses look at the bottom line and pay more attention to costs and how to cut back. With the Miyano, we have naturally made significant savings that we were unaware of. For instance, ten CAM autos require constant operator attention. In the last twelve months we have been able to re-locate employees, whilst any people that have left the company have not been replaced. In effect, the Miyano has contributed to reducing our wage bill.

“At one point we had 53 staff – a major commitment in terms of paying salaries – we now have 17 employees. This is not a direct result of the downturn, but efficiency savings created by our technology investments.”

The cost reductions don't stop there. “Before we set about replacing the 50 CAM autos with sliding heads and the Miyano, we had a tanker deliver 1,000 gallons of oil every quarter for the 50 machines,” he adds. “Now the CAM autos are all but gone we order four 45 gallon drums per quarter – a reduction of 820 gallons per quarter. Taking into consideration oil was costing Wealdpark £1.05 per litre; the company now saves almost £4,000 per quarter.”
As the Miyano has replaced ten machines, it has contributed largely to the £16,000 annual oil saving with its enclosed set-up that prevents splashes, spillages and oil mist created by burning oil. An additional benefit is a cleaner and more environmentally friendly workshop. 

There's more...

Adding to the environmental and cost savings from the Miyano, Mr Smith continues: “One Miyano machine is more energy efficient than its ten predecessors. We have not calculated the exact electricity cost reduction but have no doubt that it is a major saving. Not only is the Miyano more cost-effective but it is also quieter. The H&SE has reduced the limit on workplace noise levels by 5dBA this year and one machine is obviously quieter than ten. We are now aiming to have a workshop where ear defenders are not compulsory.”

The Miyano has also cut tooling costs for Wealdpark with the company now using carbide tooling as opposed to form tools. “Form tools continually created downtime as they needed re-grinding,” Mr Smith says. “The programming capability of the Miyano enables us to use standard carbide tooling and machine the forms rather than work with form tools. By simply programming forms into the Miyano, we have reduced tooling costs drastically and cut machine downtime.

“Our capability has been further extended by employing a 4-5 inch chuck which allows us to offer our customers a competitive service on large work previously beyond our remit. This extends the diameter range of the Miyano to 100mm, so we can provide the same capability and productivity on larger components.”

Reviewing the 12 month period since acquiring the Miyano BNE51-SY5, Mr Smith concludes: “The Miyano has been outstanding. The service and the savings have been remarkable. If it was not for the benefits provided by the Miyano, the recession would be more difficult for our business. With this in mind, the recession is the only factor holding our business back from a second Miyano. However, we are confident that this is a situation that will change in the near future.”

Miyano
www.miyano.co.uk