Manufacturer hits major sales target
A Black Country manufacturing specialist is celebrating 10 years of supplying hydraulic presses in the UK by hitting a major sales milestone.
Worcester Presses, which employs 14 people at its works in Dudley, has recently installed its 50th hydraulic press into P.A.B. (Coventry) to help it cope with an increase in orders from the automotive and aerospace sector.
The sheet metal and prototype experts have taken a Yeh Chiun 300 tonne H-Frame hydraulic press that is capable of delivering the precision accuracy crucial in producing pressings and metal grills that will be used in supercars and a host of Aston Martin models.
Praised for its flexibility and power, the machine’s relatively small footprint fits perfectly within the company’s factory and the latest control software means programmes can be stored and called upon quickly.
This latest install marks Worcester Presses’ best ever year of hydraulic press sales, with this type of machine now accounting for 20% of the firm’s £2.2m turnover.
“There is a distinct lack of domestic specialists in this area of press expertise and we are really beneftting from our decision to invest in our growing range,” said Russell Hartill, director of Worcester Presses.
“Whilst many of our competitors have stopped trading, we have thrived by offering customers access to a range of C-Frame and H-Frame models, varying from 20 tonnes right up to 2000 tonnes. This is backed up by our ability to customise machines to suit specific applications, a comprehensive service package and the biggest stockholding of spares for this equipment in the country.”
He continued: “Hydraulic presses offer great versatility and are suitable for low, medium and high volume production, especially components that are used in assembly and those that are deep drawn.
“The technology has come on a lot since we first sold them in the UK, with many of our presses featuring touch screen controls, improved programme memory and another major benefit is the remote access facility, where our service department can directly interrogate the control system as required for offsite support.”
Mark Brazier, CEO of P.A.B. (Coventry), added: “The YCT-300 Worcester hydraulic press is a great addition to our capability and is directly involved in added value work we complete for a number of car manufacturers and some sub-frame components for aerospace.
“Installation was smooth and training for our operators was completed quickly, meaning the hydraulic press could have an immediate positive impact on our output. We have been very impressed with its versatility and the fact we can quickly set it up to take on new and diverse jobs. Tool life is also very good.”
Established in 1949, Dudley-based Worcester Presses has seen strong demand over the last 12 months from customers involved in the automotive, aerospace, construction and medical sectors.
