14 July 2024 Production Engineering Solutions pesmedia.com NEWS Contact us now to discuss your needs: +44 (0) 1723 582 868 I [email protected] unisonltd.com • 50 mm or 80 mm CNC tube bending machines • Exceptional power and robust mechanical design • Dual-stack bending – for reduced tool changes • Designed for repetitive tube bending tasks • Choice of industry-leading motors and drives • User-friendly Unison touchscreen control Unison quality – at a highly accessible price! Unison Synergy Hybrid, dual-stack tube bending machines Citizen Machinery UK’s stand at MACH was busy over the five days, with 538 manufacturing companies making enquiries that required further action. The level of visitor interest was especially high as Citizen had decided to defer a 5% price increase on its Cincom slidinghead and Miyano fixed-head lathes until after the show. A total of 29 orders valued at very close to £5,000,000 were placed either during the event, or afterwards as a direct result of it. All nine machines exhibited, spanning the bar capacity range 12mm to 80mm, were under power and five of them made separate parts that were assembled by visitors into a giveaway component. Star of the show was the Miyano BNE-65MYY, which employed the versatility of Citizen’s superimposed machining to produce an impressively complex part in about 2.5 minutes. Robotic automation on a Miyano BNA-42SY5 was another highlight, while the Cincom L32-XLFV utilising the company’s LFV chip breaking technology to cut plastic also created a lot of interest. Richhill-based subcontractor Rosco Engineering in Co Armagh placed an order at MACH for a Cincom L20XIIB5LFV sliding-head lathe. Production of hydraulic parts, which accounts for 15% of the company’s turnover, is a pricesensitive undertaking. In 2006, the company purchased its first Citizen lathe, a larger capacity L32, reduced a three-operation process taking seven minutes to a single, four-minute cycle. The time to produce this 303 stainless steel part should be reduced by a further 50% by the smaller, more agile L20, doubling productivity. General manager, James Scott commented: “Not only will the new slider be more productive, but it will also save an extra shift adding to the financial benefit. We machine a lot of stainless steel and plastic in addition to mild steel, so Citizen’s low frequency vibration (LFV) function will help with chip breaking, while high pressure coolant will ensure uninterrupted production of parts requiring deep hole drilling. Both swarf management techniques should significantly extend tool life.” The highly specified lathe also has extra toolholders and a swivelling B-axis tool carrier that extends the machine’s versatility when executing angled cross-working or end facing operations. Now that MACH is over, thoughts have already turned to the annual Citizen open house at its Brierley Hill facility in October, where the company will continue to celebrate its 50th anniversary. Citizen Machinery UK www.citizenmachinery.co.uk Citizen reports best ever MACH Xtreme Motorsports, which manufactures high-quality performance car upgrades for motorsport racing, has overhauled its production thanks to an implementation of Fortee, Forterro’s entry-level cloud-based ERP solution, helping it to remain competitive and improving profitability. The company, which specialises in Nissan GTR-R35 clutch upgrades, had previously relied on traditional tools such as spreadsheets and extensive paperwork to manage the different stages of production. The implementation of Fortee marked a huge shift for Xtreme Motorsports. Fortee’s ability to handle optimum batch sizes and streamline complex manufacturing stages, such as in CNC machining, drastically reduced the business’ time and resource wastage. This shift from smaller, inefficient batches to larger and more cost-effective quantities has been transformative for staying competitive. “It is so satisfying to be in control of everything – overseeing costings, routings, the bill of materials and the structures,” said Antony Allsop, business development manager at Xtreme Motorsports. “It gives a sense of being on top of everything and knowing exactly where we are headed. The business is now positioned for significant expansion and diversification over the next few years.” Stock management and planning were major pain points for Xtreme Motorsports and meant a reactive and disorganised approach. The implementation of Fortee introduced a much more proactive strategy, enhancing control over inventory and stock levels. This new system reduced the instances of running out of key items, which had previously led to lost orders and customer retention issues. “Because of Fortee, there’s been less panic and knee-jerk reactions across the business,” continued Mr Allsop. “We have a number of new and ambitious projects in the pipeline and the Fortee cloud ERP has been a central component in ensuring we are ready for those projects and for accelerating our digital transformation.” Launched in the UK in May 2024, Fortee is an out-ofthe-box SaaS ERP solution designed for the specific requirements of SME discrete manufacturers and industrial startups. It is based on Forterro’s successful cloud ERP solution Sylob and is the result of 15 years of cloud-ERP learning and development. “Using spreadsheets and paper-based processes is still common among many smaller manufacturers,” commented Benoît Wambergue, VP of product management for Forterro. “It really doesn’t need to be though. A cloud-based ERP such as Fortee is incredibly easy to get started with, and Xtreme Motorsports was up and running and seeing ROI in a matter of weeks.” n Forterro www.forterro.com/en Xtreme Motorsports manufactures Nissan GTR-R35 clutch upgrades Fortee ERP helps Xtreme Motorsports accelerate digital transformation
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