Hone-All takes a holistic approach to investment

Hot on the heels of the arrival of a new 3m bed length CNC lathe, Hone-All Precision has announced further investment in its manufacturing capacity and is also enhancing how customers interact with the Leighton Buzzard precision sub-contractor. Hone-All is finalising the specifications for their new deep hole boring machine prior to its delivery in September. This will be their second machine with a 3 metre length capacity and further expands its existing boring capacity and will help reduce lead times to help meet growing customer demand. The ability to bore components of this length and up to 200 mm diameter is of significant interest to customers in the burgeoning oil and gas sector where Hone-All is a major supplier of machined components. “We are seeing a trend for longer, larger components and with the recent installation of our Tuscan 4 metre and the Harrison 3 metre bed length lathes we have the turning capacity to meet these new demands, so the next logical step was to bring in this increased boring capacity,” says Hone-All Precision Director, Andrea Rodney. The installation of the new borer will require some realignment of existing facilities to maximise the workflow potential within the factory space. The smaller capacity borer will be relocated in Hone-All’s deep hole drilling section, where the company will make better use of existing BTA gundrill tooling and a transfer of knowledge will be facilitated between those involved in deep hole boring and gundrilling through a structured training programme. This training will ensure that skilled staff are always available to maintain production across the manufacturing processes. Aerospace is also a growing market for Hone-All and a major increase in production quantities for a military helicopter component has seen the company invest in the refurbishment of their Jones & Shipman CNC honing machine with the installation of a new CNC control by OSAI and a complete rebuild of the hydraulic pack and controls by Kanflu. As a result of the work Hone-All has greater control over component accuracy and has also benefitted from increased production, which will be used to offset the doubling of demand for these components over the past six months, with the prediction of significant growth over the next three years. In addition to increasing manufacturing capacity Hone-All is also enhancing the interface between itself and existing and potential customers with the introduction of an App to complement its redesigned website. “The new App has been developed to provide customers with information on our services and capabilities. By simply rolling over the individual machining icons users of the App will be presented with machining tolerances, and other relevant information that will enable them to better understand what we can deliver for them. It will also include direct contact via e-mail or phone for those more detailed questions,” says Andrea Rodney.

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