To infinity and beyond

The success of a pair of Hartford vertical machining centres at Goodman Metal Works has spurred the family-owned company to order a third machine from TW Ward CNC Machinery (Ward CNC), Hartford’s exclusive UK and Ireland agent.

The three new machining centres are being used as replacements for ageing VMCs at the Nottingham-based firm – established in 1964 and a specialist in fabrications weighing up to 25 tonnes – and while they are faster and consistently more accurate than the units they replace, it is the ‘unfaltering reliability’ of the original machines that has prompted managing director Richard Goodman (son of company founders and his parents, Terry and Dorothy) to invest in another model from the Hartford range.

“The Hartfords are well-built, sturdy machines that work day in, day out achieving consistent standards of machining,” he says. “It is these characteristics – knowing that when we switch them on they will always work and work well – that were the prime considerations when we chose them.

“The bulk of our machining is straightforward milling, boring and drilling, but I need ultra-reliable and highly rigid machines because I cannot afford to let customer delivery schedules go awry. In fact, the first two Hartfords helped us gain two new customers due to the fact that we were able to keep our delivery promises.”

Richard Goodman explains that the initial tranche of investments – firstly in a Hartford PBM-115A CNC horizontal borer then three months later the large capacity Infinity HSA-420 double-column VMC – was made on the realisation that the savings made on the maintenance costs (and downtimes) with his existing, older VMCs would simply pay for the new machines.

“I contacted a number of likely suppliers but I chose Ward CNC for a number of reasons,” he continues.

“Firstly, they had plenty of machines in stock so we could immediately see what we could be buying. And the Hartfords stood out on a variety of counts. Not only could I see and ‘feel’ the quality of machine build that is based on a one-piece heavy-duty cast iron bed for high accuracy and rigidity but, importantly, these machines also offered exceptional machining performance with first-class back up and training from Ward CNC.

“This is ideal for the workpieces we process; a machine handling fabrications weighing up to seven tonnes every day (and night) can put a lot of stress on a moving table and I wanted machines that would guarantee to be operational all the time.”

Known quantity

The two Hartfords in situ in the 45,000ft² production area have all the capacity and power that Richard Goodman needs for the targeted work: the PBM-115A has a geared high power 3,000rpm spindle and X-, Y- and Z-axes travels of 2,000mm x 1,600mm x 1,500mm; the Infinity HSA-420 is rated at 6,000rpm and has X-, Y- and Z- capacities of 4,000mm x 2,000mm x 1,000mm.

“Also, Ward CNC is very much a ‘known quantity’,” he adds. “Plenty of other companies in the area, some of which we work with/for, are using Ward-supplied machines of varying makes, and have only good things to say about the machines and the company’s level of service and back-up.”

For example, Goodman Metal Works took advantage of Ward CNC’s training on the machines’ Fanuc CNC systems: “Our young operators, who are familiar with Fanuc systems, had the machines up and running in no time,” Mr Goodman adds. “And the collaboration between Ward CNC and tooling supplier Kyocera has also paid dividends especially with the use of tip drills.”

With 91 employees including apprentices, Goodman Metal Works specialises in the fabrication and machining of a wide range of workpieces for a variety of industries, including work for customers in the oil and gas, nuclear, quarrying and mining sectors as well as, for example, Rolls-Royce with ground support equipment frames being one example of the type of work being processed.

“I would usually say we can handle any job, in any material that is too heavy to carry,” Mr Goodman states, “but predominantly we process mild steel as well as stainless and plastics, and we take pride in working closely with customers to solve their manufacturing/machining problems.”

Reducing overheads

The company added CNC machining to its portfolio of services some years ago in response to customer demand and it purchased a VMC and then others for the occasional fabrications that also needed basic milling, boring and drilling routines. Today, the added-value machining of fabrications accounts for around 15% of business and high-quality CNC machining is also a service offered in its own right.

It was in 2010 however, that maintenance of four old VMCs being used for such tasks was effectively becoming the company’s third highest overhead (after salaries and materials) and Richard Goodman realised that if those costs could be reduced then the savings would easily pay for the finance on the new machines.

“So, as long as the Hartfords weren’t slower than the machines they replaced – in one example they were actually at least three times quicker – I knew the company would benefit, particularly in terms of minimal downtimes. In addition, customers also benefitted because they knew delivery schedules wouldn’t be hindered by machine breakdowns.

“A case in point surrounds the machining of a clamp set for a customer in the offshore industry,” he says. “The machine formerly used for this job was always breaking down, but now every delivery is made to schedule. That aligns perfectly with the subcontracting holy grail of offering the ultimate in quality, cost and delivery.”

Mr Goodman concludes: “The initial two new machines have been working non-stop since they were installed, including one always on the night shift, and we’ve actually gained new customers because of our delivery record.

“Now, by ordering a third new Hartford – a 6,000rpm Super HCMC 1892 with X-, Y- and Z-axes travels of 1,800mm x 920mm x 820mm – I not only have another superior machine but also one that is the ultimate back up for everything we do.”

TW Ward CNC Machinery www.wardcnc.com

Goodman Metal Works www.goodmanmetalworks.com