Tees Valley engineering firm invests £500K in horizontal boring mill

The ceremony took place at Tees Components facility in North Skelton, near Saltburn, where staff and contractors gathered safely to see the machine running for the first time.

The project was successfully delivered during the height of the coronavirus pandemic despite being put on hold for three weeks whilst the site paused production due to the government lockdown.

Since then, strict health and safety measures have been put in place limiting the number of visitors on site to ensure safe installation alongside Tees Components existing activities.

The £500,000 investment, a Hyundai Wia KBN 135CL, which was supplied by TW Ward CNC Machinery (Ward CNC) will enable Tees Components to double capacity of this type at its machining facility in Skelton.

Used for CNC boring and milling, the technology is capable of machining extremely large parts to very small tolerances, due to the extent of its axes (4m x 2m x 2m) and rotary table loading capability. Its table load accommodates 20 tonnes while the X-Axis is 4000mm and the W-Axis is 700mm.

The machining capacity is ideal for precision components for defence, power, and oil and gas sectors. Even at this size, it is not the largest capacity on Tees’s site, and joins a suite of CNC horizontal borers following decades of heavy investment.

Sharon Lane, managing director of Tees Components, said: “We are really pleased that we were able to celebrate such an important milestone, albeit in a very unique way.

“We appreciate the cooperation of the Mayor in welcoming this significant investment, and also the team at TW Ward who were very flexible and attentive to our updated health and safety working practices to ensure that the installation could be completed efficiently.

“This significant investment is an essential element in supporting the delivery of our growing pipeline of projects, and we are ready to push ahead with our growth plans.”

The Ward CNC team joined in the day’s celebrations with managing director, Simon Whitworth and head of strategic accounts & projects, Stuart Lawson in attendance.

Speaking on the partnership with Tees Components, Mr Whitworth said: “We have a proud and long-standing relationship with Tees Components which began with the supply of a Webster & Bennett vertical boring machine four decades ago up until the two recent installations of their new Hyundai Wia KBN 135CL horizontal boring machines.

“Throughout this time, they have continuously showcased their capability and commitment to their customers and it is a privilege to support such an esteemed organisation, both throughout the installations and during this unique celebratory event.

“Now that the machine has been commissioned, we look forward to continuing this relationship by supporting Sharon and the Tees Components team with any technical or applications support required on their new projects.”

Tees Components www.teescomponents.co.uk

Ward CNC www.wardcnc.com