Hone-All takes on turning capacity to meet growing demand

With its order book double that of 12 months ago Hone-All Precision is continuing to invest in new machine tools to meet the growing demand for its machining services. This led to a requirement for additional turning capacity, so an order has been placed for a Colchester/Harrison Alpha 1550XS manual/CNC lathe from RK International Machine Tools. The mix of work undertaken by Hone-All Precision requires versatility in its manufacturing capacity and with a 3000 mm between centre distance and a swing over the bed of 554 mm the new Alpha lathe will allow the Leighton Buzzard-based subcontractor to generate greater productivity, and make further improvements to its processes in order to meet the demands of customers across many sectors, such as oil & gas, hydraulics, automotive and motorsport, where on-time delivery is as vital as piece part cost. “Our order book is double that of this time last year thanks to increasing quantities from existing contracts and a number of new customers that have recognised the benefits that Hone-All Precision can bring to their operations through our ability to completely manage the sub-contract process for them and deliver finished components on-time and to budget. Pressure to deliver on-time is increasing and while we wait for the Alpha 1550 to arrive in March, RK International Machine Tools has arranged for a smaller machine to be supplied on loan to help with the current order situation, which is extremely helpful of them. We will be using our attendance at MACH 2014 to promote this new machining capacity as well as the specific skills sets that we can provide to customers looking for a wide variety of machined components and the total management of their sub-contract machining, ” says Andrea Rodney, Director, Hone-All Precision. Much of this new business has been won on the back of Hone-All Precision’s commitment to continual improvement and lean production techniques that has seen it become highly efficient and by default, a cost-effective supplier of machined components, whether it is in the specialist area of deep hole boring and honing or just general machining. To that end the new Harrison Alpha 1550XS lathe fits seamlessly into Hone-All’s production systems as it employs the same Fanuc 0i TD control system as existing lathes in the factory, so the learning curve will be minimal and will quickly add to the company’s turning capacity. Hone-All’s mix of batch sizes from one-off to medium quantities of often complex components, in a wide range of materials also suits the format of the Alpha lathe perfectly due to its ability to operate in manual or full CNC mode. “Versatility is at the heart of everything we do at Hone-All Precision, and having the capacity and ability to quickly turn jobs around for customers is a vital part of our success. When combined with the highly skilled workforce that we have and the enthusiastic approach that they bring, we are confident that business will continue to grow.” Typical of the response that Hone-All Precision gets from its customers is this sent to Andrea Rodney from Chris O’Sullivan, Delivery Project Leader at BP: “It was extremely refreshing to walk into a supplier that cares about their customers and especially to see a solid effort made by everyone to ensure that the whole experience is positive. I was very impressed with the professionalism of yourself and it was clear, that is carried right through to the team working on the factory floor. This doesn’t happen overnight and requires a certain level of dedication and passion at each level of the organization. I left today with a very positive feeling that next critical stage of this project is now in the right hands.”

For more information on Hone-All takes on turning capacity to meet growing demand talk to Hone-All Precision Ltd