Its name is somewhat misleading because, when visiting the company’s 10,000ft² facility in Worcester, there is much more than just fabrication going on.
The company was founded in 1977 as a maintenance fabricator but over the years has found that there was increasing pressure from customers to bring everything in-house. The company now offers an end-to-end service for customers, from conception through to design, product development, prototype work and production. Most importantly, Dero provides all the services required without resorting to subcontracting, including laser cutting, assembly, welding, fabrication and finishing.
“The introduction of laser cutting technology in 2004 was crucial,” says production manager James Taylor, whose father, John, owns the business. “That was a big step for us and enabled us to carve out a very strong position in the food and pharmaceuticals sector.”
“The move has paid dividends, particularly with the increased focus by the major food producers and supermarkets on checking and weighing systems. Food production is all about weighing, measuring, X-raying, filling and capping,” adds Chris Beese, sales manager at Dero.
“The supermarkets in particular are very concerned about checking because they need to protect their brand. They want protection in place to ensure that no metal enters the food chain – and that requirement goes down the supply chain to the food manufacturers. We’ve been able to provide a key part of the solution, namely the sheetmetal work in the form of guards, chambers and basic shells for the metal detectors that sit on the food production lines.”
The company now manufactures everything from gantries and stainless-steel frames through to guards and chambers for food process equipment. In tandem, Dero has also developed a specialism in ultra-high standard finishes that are particularly valued by the pharmaceutical sector, including powder coating, galvanising, glass bead blasting, plating, anodising, chemical blacking and a number of bespoke finishes.
However, with growth comes pressure on production: “The 4kW CO2 laser we had was struggling to keep up with our production demands,” Mr Taylor continues. “The answer was to acquire a Yamazaki Mazak Optiplex Fiber 6kW laser. “It’s so much quicker; we were running the old machine for 10-12 hour shifts, five days a week, but with the Mazak we are only scheduling eight hour shifts and getting through the same amount of work. In short, we’ve increased our capacity and our ability to cut much thicker sheet metal, but still only have one machine and one operator.
“What’s more with the old machine our stainless-steel cutting topped out at 12mm, but the Mazak is capable of 25-30mm stainless. Prior to installing the new machine, we would have to send out 25mm thick stainless steel for waterjet cutting, which is the most commonly used process for jobs using thick sheet, but it is also very expensive.”
However, what is somewhat unique about Dero's relationship with Mazak is the company’s position not only as a customer but also as a supplier: “We've been working for and with Mazak for many years now, to provide further support to their own factory which is located less than a mile away from our own,” Mr Taylor reveals. “I think there is something really special about the parts for one Mazak machine being made by another Mazak machine. It comes full circle and shows the quality and precision of the equipment. It has also opened up new markets for us.
“Everyone has a laser, but not everyone has a laser that is as flexible as this. Being able to complete thicker work in-house gives potential customers the confidence that we’ve got control of everything, rather than having to subcontract. This is particularly important in pharma. As a capacity-selling tool it’s second to none.”
Mr Taylor has also been impressed by how quickly his operator has adjusted to the new machine: “Our laser operator was used to a different CNC but he went over to Mazak for training and has picked it up very easily. It is a complex machine because of its capabilities, but it is clever at the same time. There are things you can do on the Optiplex that you can’t do with other machines.”
Dero’s latest acquisition to support the Optiplex is a nitrogen generation system. The new system will ensure it always has a constant supply of nitrogen gas for the Mazak and will enable the cutting of mild steel up to 6mm thick with no oxidised edge. The latest investment will make Dero self-sufficient, increase capacity and improve quality.
Dero Fabrication www.dero.co.uk
Yamazaki Mazak UK www.mazakeu.co.uk
