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News Release from: Mike Page - editor's feature articles
Edited by the Manufacturingtalk Editorial
Team on 17 May 2005
Chinese to build 600 Group engine lathes
The 600 Group has entered into a partnership deal with Dalian, China, which will build the Group's standard engine lathes for the UK and export markets.
It is 'all change' at the Heckmondwyke factory of 600 Lathes, since the UK's 600 Group has discontinued manufacturing standard 'engine' or 'universal' lathes in the UK The 250-employee Heckmondwyke, Yorkshire factory will concentrate on building the Colchester 'Tornado' CNC slant-bed production lathes and T.S
This article was originally published on Manufacturingtalk on 29 Oct 2001 at 8.00am (UK)
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Building standard manual/DRO lathes is no longer seen by the 600 Group as an economically viable UK activity.
Future 'engine' lathe manufacture will be carried out for 600 Lathes by the Dalian Machine Tool Group in Dalian, Peoples' Republic of China.
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"We can not sell low-cost/low-tech machines at Western prices," said Dr Anthony Sweeten, chief executive of the 600 Group, which is why a partnership deal has been drawn up with the $600 million Dalian Machine Tool group to carry out the volume production of 'engine' lathes.
Under the deal, 600 Group controls design, technology, manufacturing and distribution rights.
The 600 Group buys the engine lathes and 'adds value' in the UK - such as control systems.
The first Dalian-built machines were on the Heckmondwyke shop floor in early April.
Dr Sweeten added: "We will be maintaining control over the new engine lathes' reputation - we had to re-equip the Dalian factory".
"These engine lathes have to be 'world class' and the Chinese want to develop skills and technology levels acceptable to the West." The deal is not a 'joint venture', but is structured entirely on a commercial basis: Dalian sells the engine lathes exclusively to 600 Lathes and Dalian can only sell the machines into the Chinese market when 600 Lathes says so.
600 Lathes will introduce its 'sophisticated', high-performance, high specification engine lathes to the US market this year.
'Sophistication' includes variable spindle speed/constant surface cutting speed with 'intelligent' digital read-out systems as standard features.
The aim, said Dr Sweeten, "Is to try to regain our market share in the USA as in the past." Meanwhile, in Heckmondwyke, the factory has been re-organised and re-equipped.
"We are saving jobs and putting resources into what we are good at," said Dr Sweeten.
"We have gone through the worst recession in machine tools and we do not need to borrow money - we have worked hard to keep our cash." He added that sales of Tornado (known in the US market as 'Storm') and Harrison lathes are doing well.
Advances on the way include the Harrison 'Multiturn 4000' - one of a series of CNC flatbed lathes built up to 500mm swing by 3m between centres.
They have the Fanuc Oi-TC CNC with manual guidance and on-board CAM.
The Multiturn relieves CNC production lathes from 'one-off' and small batch work, yet massively increases productivity when compared with conventional manual lathes.
What will 600 Lathes show at EMO? Dr Sweeten was not letting any secrets out, but suggestions of a flatbed CNC lathe with a milling spindle and a multi-turret Tornado, plus more developments in hard turning may be in prospect.
(Reporter: Mike Page).
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