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News Release from: Jones and Shipman Precision
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 15 March 2007
Two machine tool companies act as 'one'
Venture Private Equity (VPE), which acquired Jones and Shipman and Holroyd/Edgetek from the Renold Group on December 6, 2006, has announced that the two companies will now be as 'one'.
Speaking in London, VPE's partner, Mark Frankel said: "We strongly believe that the best business model for Jones and Shipman/Holroyd is to create 'one' machine tool business with sites in Leicester and Rochdale (UK) Lyon (France) and Farmington, Connecticut, USA Holroyd will be relocated into a new facility in the Rochdale area." The machine tool activities of Holroyd will eventually be re-sited near Rochdale, so as to separate it from its components machining division
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 31 Aug 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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Holroyd originally produced textile machinery from the 1860s and has made thread-milling machines for some 110 years.
It had also latterly developed its own machine tools for rotor milling and began to commercialize them when clients expressed a wish to machine rotors in large volumes 'in-house'.
The company also began building precision multi-axis grinding machines - and latterly gear grinders.
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The Renold Group acquired Holroyd in 1964, which also acquired Jones and Shipman in 1998.
Now under VPE shareholders and supported by holding company Precision Technologies Group (PTG), Frankel foresaw an expanding business, in which both companies have access to more focused marketing and financial support.
Currently, Holroyd exports around 95% of its high precision machine tools and compressor and super charger rotor screws.
J and S' managing director, Alan Spears, said the company exports 65% of its CNC cylindrical and surface grinders.
"Although in 2007," said Spears, "We expect the 'split' to be more 45:55% as the UK market has placed a number of large contracts." Frankel said that the Edgetek product line from Holroyd (high metal removal rate CBN grinding machines used mostly in turbine blade manufacture) will be re-branded Jones and Shipman and built at the Leicester plant.
He said that the engineering team would re-engineer the product focusing upon the price/performance demands of the aerospace, automotive, medical and high volume industrial market.
* About J and S products - Frankel said the company is to launch a range of larger cylindrical grinding machines.
These will have a modular grinding head that will take multiple wheel configurations.
Also, J and S - with Holroyd - will 'marry' the Edgetek XL with the J and S 'Dominator' creep feed grinding machine design to produce machines that will be, said Frankel: "Genuinely world class." The Edgetek XL is a 5-axis CNC moving column mill-grind center with a trunnion-mounted work area (a multi-function mill-grind center, which, said Tony Daniels, managing director of Holroyd Edgetek, is essentially a grinding machine with mill/drill/bore capability - not as with 'Viper' grinding, which is a grinding retrofit onto a CNC machining center or miller).
Consequently the Edgetek approach - based on a grinding machine structure - does not have problems of chip disposal and protection of guideways.
J and S is also planning a larger capacity cylindrical grinder with a modular machine head capable of deploying multiple grinding wheels.
Distance between centres will be 450mm and 1500mm.
The emphasis is on larger workpiece size and weight.
* About Holroyd Edgetek products - Holroyd will expand its award-winning rotary milling and precision range of thread and gear grinders.
The company will exploit its core competence and technology to deliver a new range of Holroyd grinding machines incorporating CBN and flexible tooling to, as Frankel said: "Embrace modern 'lean' manufacturing methods (batch and mass-production." Frankel said that it was pleasing to report that order books are growing for J and S and Holroyd.
Recent orders for J and S 'core' products - 'Ultramat' and 'Dominator' grinding machines - and Holroyd rotor millers and grinding machines include a major contract from Uniccomp in Germany and the sale of two Edgetek XLs into the gas turbine sector.
At present the turnover of J and S and Holroyd/Edgetek combined is about GBP 30 million.
Globally, J and S employs 110 and Holroyd/Edgetek, 150.
"We like the two companies," said Frankel.
"They have a profitable 'touch and feel' to them.
What we want is a realistic return (on investment) - we would not have done it otherwise." When asked about strategy, Frankel said that in their outline plan on strategy they aim to spend more time to talk to customers.
For example, staff will be sent to the US - a big customer for Holroyd - to 'get into the supply chain niche'.
(Reporter - Mike Page).
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