Howco Group Invests £1 Million in Vertical CNC Turning Centres

Boosting Precision Manufacturing Capability in Irvine

Howco Group has unveiled its latest £1million investment, with the installation of two new start-of-the-art Vertical CNC Turning Centres at its site in Irvine, Scotland. The machinery marks a sizeable investment in precision manufacturing for Howco and will significantly increase its capabilities in this area.

The ‘You Ji’ 1.8m vertical borers with C axis drives were purchased through TDT Machine Tools Ltd and are already operational at Howco’s North Ayrshire location, where they’re being used to assist in the delivery of a product line for a multi-year contract.

As well as aiding in product line delivery, the addition of the Vertical CNC Turning Centres represents an investment in operational efficiency – something Howco is already experiencing as the two high-precision lathes are put to work.

Michael Smith, Director of Manufacturing for Europe added, “Our new Vertical CNC Turning Centres are state-of-the-art and we’re already seeing how they’re helping to boost productivity and efficiency levels. Because the workpiece does not need to be removed from the machine, it is already in the set position to complete the next process. We have been able to streamline our manufacturing process and speed up production times while maintaining the same high quality and precision standards for which we are known.”

The high precision, specialist lathes are highly versatile additions to Howco’s plant and will be deployed across a wide range of applications in the future. Typical applications include grinding, milling, 90-degree drilling, tapping, boring, U-drilling, regular drilling and turning. Because the vertical borers can be programmed to run without manual intervention, they’re not just a more productive solution, they’re also more desirable from a safety perspective, too.

Andrew Marwood, the Howco Group Operations Director stated “Both of Howco’s Vertical CNC Turning Centres were produced by You Ji Machine Ind. Co. Ltd, which brought its extensive equipment manufacturing prowess to the project. The machine tools have an abundance of state of the art technology and safety features. We have already been impressed by the capability and attention to detail and are delighted to see these tools make such a positive contribution to our precision manufacturing capability in Irvine.”

To find out more about Howco's Vertical CNC Turning Centres at its site in Irvine, Scotland, contact the team on 01294 313131, or Email: irvinesalesteam@howcogroup.com.