Hone-All goes vertical to meet demands

Leighton Buzzard-based precision sub-contractor shows no sign in slowing up with its capital investment programme following the announcement of an order for a Sunnen SV-20 vertical honing machine. This investment comes hot on the heels of the company ordering additional turning and deep hole boring capacity and is being driven by increased demand from one of its largest customers operating in the oil and gas sector. “While we are constantly looking at improving our manufacturing capabilities and capacity, the need for this additional vertical honing capacity required a bit of quick thinking as the customer is ramping up demand very quickly. So we had to make a quick, but considered decision as to which way to proceed,” says Hone-All Precision Director, Andrea Rodney. The choice of the Sunnen machine was based on familiarity with the brand and machine availability. Having already an extensive portfolio of Sunnen honing machines this new addition will sit alongside existing vertical honing machines and allow a single operator to control rough honing on one, while finish honing bores up to 200 mm diameter on the new machine. Other benefits that confirmed that this was the correct machine for Hone-All included the 15-600 revs/min variable speed, 5.5 hp (4.1 kW) spindle that allows the efficient use of two-stage, metal-bond, diamond abrasives, the benefit of which is enhanced bore quality and reduced cycle times. The machine also features the ability to hone parts weighing up to 680 kg, a big advantage in the oil and gas sector. The machine is scheduled for installation by the end of June and will be in full production early July. “At a cost of £65,000 this is a major investment and highlights the commitment that Hone-All is willing to make to support its long-term customers. The strength of the partnerships that we have with our major customers gives us the confidence to continue to invest in additional and improved manufacturing technology. This capital expenditure is just part of the overall picture here at Hone-All as we are continually developing our procedures. This includes our current improvement project working with the MAS team to further improve our internal processes, scheduling and on-time delivery performance. We have also been accepted onto the Growth Accelerator programme for which only companies that have a proven track record of growth and continuing success are accepted. This funding is enabling us to develop our short and long term business strategies and improve our business performance management. These are just some of the ongoing projects that provide reassurance and value for our customers,” says Andrea Rodney.

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