14 June 2024 Production Engineering Solutions pesmedia.com NEWS Birmingham-based precision stamping company, Brandauer, has completed a £3.25m investment drive to celebrate a King’s Award for Enterprise achievement. Brandauer, which employs 64 people at its Newtown factory, has just commissioned its fifth high-speed Yamada press that will help it deliver quick changeover subcontract stamping capabilities – ideal for clients requiring high speed, precision accuracy and multitool transfers. The installation follows the purchase of a laser microcutting machine, an investment that was made possible by a 40% grant from the Aerospace Up programme giving the business this technology for the first time. Together, the investments will drive up capacity to help Brandauer make the most of its new precision modular tooling concept that is promising to deliver up to £6m of domestic and international sales over the next two years. This involves the manufacture of globally competitive precision tools that can produce components for use in high specification construction applications, battery assemblies, MedTech devices and electrification amongst others. “It has been quite a week for the company, perhaps one of the proudest in our 162-year history,” explained Rowan Crozier, chief executive officer. “We’ve reinvented ourselves a lot since we started life manufacturing pen nibs and are now seen as one of the leading presswork and stamping specialists in the world, delivering micron accuracy components and precision tooling.” He continued: “The King’s Award for Innovation is such an important title for us and really opens new doors across the globe. This is the second royal award we have achieved, following our International Queen’s Award in 2019 – not many companies hold two titles simultaneously. “The initial award had already helped us win new contracts, especially in the US where the Royal Family are highly revered. I’m hoping the Innovation title will showcase our new precision modular tooling capability to new audiences and help us achieve our aim of delivering significant growth in this area over the next few years.” A significant amount of the knowledge generated from the modular tooling concept has been embedded into courses being delivered to OEMs, like JLR, at the Precision Tooling Academy in Aldridge, a joint venture between Brandauer and In-Comm Training. This will be used in courses that will help train the toolmakers of the future, a vital engineering discipline that was slowly dying out with specialists retiring without passing on knowledge and experience. Q Brandauer www.brandauer.co.uk Brandauer presses on with £3.25m investment ANCA, a leader in grinding technology, marked its 50th anniversary with an open house event at its UK branch. The event, which showcased a range of grinding technology innovations and celebrated the decades of partnership with manufacturers and partners, attracted over 80 visitors from across the UK and Ireland. The open house featured an array of topics highlighting the company’s latest innovations, including the AIMS automation system, the latest release of the cutting-edge ToolRoom software, and the Ultra technology for topquality tool production. Attendees also gained insights into micro tool manufacturing and single-setup tool manufacturing with integrated peel grinding, demonstrating ANCA’s commitment to providing comprehensive solutions to meet the evolving needs of manufacturers. The event’s agenda was filled with live machine demonstrations, informative presentations and celebratory activities, offering attendees a firsthand look at the latest technologies for precision tool manufacturing in action. In addition, ANCA collaborated with industry partners CemeCon (coating technology), GDS (clamping technology), Tyrolit (grinding wheels), and oelheld (fluid technology) to provide attendees with access to experts across the manufacturing process chain, enriching the overall experience. “We are thrilled to celebrate 50 years of innovation and success with our valued customers and partners,” said Neil Kendrick, operations manager at ANCA UK. “The open house event was an excellent opportunity for attendees to explore our latest advancements and gain valuable insights to enhance their businesses.” ANCA UK also announced a strategic partnership with GDS Präzisionszerspanungs from Ofterdingen, Germany. Under this partnership, ANCA will represent GDS in the UK and Ireland, bringing innovative clamping solutions and combined expertise to the market. Thomas Löhn, managing director at GDS said: “The open house was a perfect start for our partnership. Visitor feedback proved that there is a high demand for advanced clamping technology, like our new Shark or Hornet chucks, and the ANCA team is highly skilled and experienced.” Mr Kendrick added: “We are glad to have GDS onboard with their longstanding expertise and excellent product range. Our customer base relies on highquality products to guarantee the best solutions in quality and productivity, which we can provide even better now.” Q ANCA www.anca.com Boeing has expanded its presence in Bristol with a new 40,000ft² office, home to the company’s UK-based defence operations. Steve Burnell, managing director of Boeing Defence UK said: “Boeing’s presence in Bristol dates back more than two decades and our new, modernised facility, home to Boeing Defence UK, represents the next chapter of our history and presence in the local community where we are proud to live and work. “With over 2,100 people dedicated to our defence business in the UK, and 700 of these based in Bristol, the new facility will serve as a dynamic space for collaboration and innovation with our customers, colleagues and partners.” In Bristol, Boeing supports defence programmes for the British armed forces, including the UK’s Apache and Chinook helicopters, C-17 Globemaster, and P-8A Poseidon. It also assists the UK’s E-7 Wedgetail programme in Birmingham, where three Boeing 737s are being modified to become the future Airborne Early Warning and Control fleet for the Royal Air Force. Richard Murray, director air support at defence equipment and support (DE&S), the UK Ministry of Defence (MoD)’s procurement arm, added: “Driving UK prosperity and working closely with industry is essential to DE&S’ mission to equip and support our armed forces. Having Boeing Defence UK’s central hub so close to DE&S’ headquarters in Bristol is a welcome development and will further enhance the working relationship across the wide portfolio of Air, logistic information systems and training programmes we have.” Alongside employees carrying out research and development, engineering and business operations, a digitally skilled workforce supports the MoD’s logistics and engineering information systems programme. It is also home to the design and delivery of real and synthetic multi-domain training software and courses for UK defence platforms. Q Boeing www.boeing.co.uk Boeing opens new UK defence headquarters ANCA hosts open house to mark 50-year anniversary Scan here for more Boeing articles Scan here for more Brandauer articles
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjU1OTY1OA==