Product category:
General Machining Subcontracting Services
News Release from: Heller Machine Tools | Subject: Engineering support
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 31 May 2007
Engineering support for machine castings
company
M J Allen won a contract to cast and machine the transmission housing of the All-Wheel-Drive Ford Transit, and turned to Heller to help them develop a production system.
Incorporating volume production into a business accustomed to the manufacture of high quality one-offs and small batches is difficult, requiring different production processes, different costings and different management practices M J Allen has set out to achieve that, winning the prestigious contract to cast and machine the transmission housing for the new All-Wheel-Drive Ford Transit
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 3 Nov 2003 at 8.00am (UK)
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Based in Ashford, Kent, specialists in machined castings M J Allen hums with activity.
It has built an enviable reputation for producing one-off and small batches of high accuracy ferrous and non-ferrous castings machined with the utmost precision.
Combined with its recognised production capabilities, the company is known for its innovative and adventurous approach to engineering problems.
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Winning the prestigious contract from Ford required it to undertake volume production for the first time.
Group MD Tim Allen said "We are delighted to have won the contract to produce the All-Wheel-Drive transmission system, but it has been a complex process to bring this project to fruition.
Winning the contract has meant expanding our current production methods to include volume capability.
We involved Heller because we needed an experienced, capable and willing machine tool partner to help us develop a production system capable of meeting Ford's notoriously rigorous demands and enable us to excel at this enterprise as in all our other activities".
Along with building the MCi16 horizontal machining centre which will be used to machine the castings, Heller has designed and manufactured the fixtures for the transmission housing in its own fixture department.
Heller is renowned is its engineering support.
"We are far more than just machine tool builders" Geoff Lloyd MD of Heller said.
"We provide customers with a complete, all-round service.
We have the capability to offer anything from a full turnkey package which manages a project from start to finish on behalf of a customer through to providing nothing more than a naked machine.
We aim to deliver exactly what the customer needs throughout the development of a production process, supporting the customer in whatever way he needs throughout the creation of the process, pre-production and prove out, machine installation and commissioning, and production itself".
The fixture design and manufacturing department operates at Heller's plant at Redditch as part of the Engineering Department.
Providing the recognised Heller Package, the department is of such importance to customers that it has developed into a an entity in its own right within the company.
It offers everything from consultancy and simultaneous engineering through fixture design and manufacture to tooling selection.
Geoff said "At one time turnkey engineering was associated only with the big manufacturers.
It is something which we make accessible to, and affordable for, even the smallest of companies.
Our task as machine tool manufacturers is to ensure that the customer achieves the most efficient and productive machining operation.
The work we have done with M J Allen to create a volume production process within a bespoke machining facility is typical of Heller".
The MCi16 horizontal machining centre is due to be installed at M J Allen for the beginning of May 2007.
Pre-production parts and prove out is being completed at Heller now. Request a free brochure from Heller Machine Tools ...
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