Pressure Tech: Smart People + Smart Investments = A Smart Service

There was lots of activity in the Pressure Tech Ltd machine shop at the end of June with the arrival of its latest upgrade – a brand new Doosan SMX 2100! This addition was made in response to consecutive record-breaking order intake levels, with 2023 on track to be the biggest sales increase in the company’s history. This latest arrival takes investment levels in Pressure Tech’s machine shop to approaching £0.75m over the past year, plus numerous investments elsewhere in the business in IT equipment, facilities, and staffing levels. 

Pressure Tech MD, Steve Yorke-Robinson, comments: 

“The gearing ratio between production capacity and sales order entry levels is always a challenging equation to balance in a manufacturing environment such as Pressure Tech’s, especially since we have consistently hit 20-30% year-on-year growth over recent years. The question we always ask ourselves is ‘how do we work smarter, and not harder?’ 

The recent investment in the Doosan SMX 2100 is a great example of an answer to this question. Having previously used a similar Doosan machine for the past eight years, it was time to replace it with a newer version with greater reliability and faster performance, allowing us to improve our capacity throughput by an estimated 50%. 

The key advantage of the new machine, and the reason this specific model was selected, is its ability to handle large batch runs. The SMX’s bar feed alone accommodates up to 2.1 meter lengths of bar, with the ability to hold around 6 lengths for lights-out operations. Plus, down time is minimised with exceptionally fast tool changes, and the ability to load tools into its carousel even while the machine is running. These features all factor into the increased capacity utilisation and overall improvement in the Operational Equipment Effectiveness from the new machine, which will more than cover the commercial cost and justify the return on investment. 

We are fortunate to have a team of skilled CNC machinists who know how to get the best performance out of the equipment we purchase. Smart People + Smart Investments = A Smart Service to our customers.” 

Since the machine’s installation, two of Pressure Tech’s machinists have undertaken intense training by Mills CNC to get to grips with the features and capabilities of the SMX. The team are already planning its first of many big batch runs and lights out operations! 

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