One of the UK’s leading strategic manufacturing outsourcing specialists is celebrating a major milestone this month when it delivers the 30,000th control system to Mazak UK.
PP Control & Automation has been working with the global machine tool builder for more than 27 years and the latest partnership has seen it play a key role in the design and production of the new CV5-500, a fully simultaneous 5-axis machining centre.
The company, which employs over 200 people at its facility in Cheslyn Hay, used its expertise to support the design and build of a new configurable control system and interconnectivity solution that would facilitate both the efficient build within PP C&A and the simple and effective integration when building the machine tools at Mazak’s facility in Worcester.
This was even more challenging when you factor in the need to achieve a highly competitive price point that would allow it to successfully launch a world class machine for target markets across Europe.
“The relationship dates back to 1993 when Japanese senior management team saw something different in our approach and a company-wide focus on quality, resulting in the placement of the very first order,” explained Tony Hague, CEO of PP Control & Automation
He continued: “For this project, our engineers worked closely with Mazak from the outset of the concept, looking at ways in which we can add value, eliminate unnecessary costs and standardise the build process, whilst still being able to deliver greater scope for the customer to configure machines.
“We are also now taking full responsibility for total supply chain management, including working with multiple Japanese manufactured parts to ensure that we reduce the hidden costs that can arise if the customer is having to manage this. Vendor reduction and rationalisation is a big driver.
Thanks to the close partnership approach Mazak UK was able to successfully launch the CV5-500 5-axis machine in March 2020, one month before its expected global debut at MACH 2020.
Despite the UK’s largest industrial show being cancelled due to the pandemic, the latest technology has been acclaimed by industry and is expected to be one of the Worcester-based firm’s most popular machines with significant sales already secured.
PP Control & Automation www.ppcanda.com