Innovation and robotics boosting productivity and growth at metal laser cutting firm

Racing car parts, bus components, ramps for ambulances and filtration systems for national restaurants are just some of the products of that a Yorkshire sheet metal manufacturer is creating in ever innovative ways; paving the way for it being on course to achieve a 50% growth this financial year.

Metal fabrication firm Malton Laser in North Yorkshire manufactures products from steel, stainless steel and aluminum. Its processes include laser cutting, metal pressing, fabrication and powder coating.

Managing director Charles Corner told TheBusinessDesk.com that the firm, which was established in 2000, is currently in the best shape it has ever been. Expectations were for the business to increase its turnover by 20% this financial year but Corner says they are on course to achieve a 50% growth and a turnover of £2.5m.

At present, the firm is working on between 60 and 70 live projects and it is investing in the latest technology and robotics to compliment the work that the 32-strong workforce complete. Corner aims to increase productivity from the current levels where the business delivers around £85,000 per employee to £100,000 per employee.

He has his sights on investing further in robotics and automation to be ahead of technology and embrace how such innovation can help the business to continually grow – but he is clear that this won’t be at the cost of jobs, as he feels both have to work simultaneously and skills need to flourish in the manufacturing and engineering sectors.

He said: “You would think Brexit could have an effect but it certainly hasn’t here. It’s not just our business either – all laser cutting shops are doing very well.

“Here at Malton Laser we have very good relationships with customers, plus the market is very good for us at the moment.”

Two new lasers machines, with a combined investment of more than £2m, are working continuously to laser cut metal shapes which are loaded into the system using Computer Aided Design (CAD). This precision working allows the firm to cut the shapes from sheets of metal sized up to 3m with a maximum thickness of 20mm – quickly with the speed of light, in an efficient way.

The new investment didn’t come without its headaches though, as shorty after delivery from Switzerland the first machine broke down and the firm was under pressure to deliver the increased order book. But this was overcome swiftly and the business has continued to see a spike in orders coming in.

A robot has been introduced to the pressing team, which will work alongside the team members to press and bend the cut metal into the required shapes with a force of up to 40 tonnes per metre.

Corner said: “We can press any metal sheet now, creating both simple and complex products.”

Robotic welder

The newest addition to the firm’s technology across its seven units on the site Malton Laser occupies can be found in the welding department. A new £160,000 robot can be programmed to weld shapes with speed and accuracy – completing jobs up to three times faster than the welding done by the experienced team members.

“It’s early days for us in this department as this company has been built up on everything being done in a quality way by hand. But this machine has seen some of our team members re-train and my aim is to invest in more robots to increase productivity which supports the man power that we already have here. We have to make sure that we are fit for the future.”

The robot has completed the welding of a complex job for a blue-chip national firm recently in just 15 minutes per item; this would take 40 minutes by hand.

The firm also focuses on bringing in new skills to the business and has so far welcomed ten apprentices across its various teams.

Around a third of the metal products cut, shaped and welded then get powder coated to protect the metal ready  for packing and deliver to the customer.

The firm has several sheds on its site in Malton now, including the newest area for ‘overflow’ which allows the team to store the many orders throughout the manufacturing process.

Corner said it was a very different business to the one set up originally, when everything operated from one 4,000 st ft shed. Of operating in Yorkshire, he added: “There is talk of a Northern Powerhouse but it has already been here for years. There are some real strengths in this region and it’s important we don’t lose investment to elsewhere in the country.

“We are in a very good position – best we have ever been in.”

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