Social media channels are currently awash with news of how UK companies are doing the country proud manufacturing critical medical parts in the fight against Covid-19, Work for the VentilatorChallengeUK consortium has been a shining example of how the industry has rallied to support the nation in its hour of need.
As part of this supply chain, Guhring UK has stepped up to the plate with the critical supply of cutting tools. As a UK manufacturer with a factory floor space of over 60,000ft², Guhring UK is holding in excess of £5 million worth of standard cutting tool stock items.
This stock is being directed to both F1, aerospace and medical OEMs involved in ventilator component manufacture as well as the subcontract supply chain. In fact, with the impact of the pandemic on imports and the wider supply chain, Guhring is even supplying its products to recognised cutting tool manufacturers and competitors that cannot meet the urgent demands of their customer base.
Despite Guhring holding a plentiful stock of thousands of standard cutting tool items for next day delivery, it is the UK manufacture and coating of special tools that are really saving the day for pockets of the supply chain at such a critical time.
One particular customer, Bellurgan Precision Engineering, based in Ireland urgently required a three-step special drill for the production of ventilator components, Guhring responded – delivering within 48 hours.
Within that 48-hour timeframe, Guhring had liaised with Bellurgan, designed and created a tool drawing that was subsequently approved and then the race was on. The Guhring team manufactured 16 identical tools at its Birmingham headquarters and coated all tools in-house with its Signum coating technology before delivery to Bellurgan Precision in Dundalk, County Louth, Ireland.
Guhring UK www.guhring.co.uk
