Subcontractor automates milling to best contract backlog

  For over thirty years, Ingenieur Ltd. has been a household name in the machining of complex, critical components for the aerospace, defence, space, and oil and gas sectors.

In 2015, the subcontractor shifted premises to a larger, 12,000 sq ft factory unit in Chandler’s Ford to better suit hosting visits from aerospace supply chain clients and customers. At the time, management considered automating some of their milling contracts, but the volumes did not justify it.

Six years later, when the COVID-19 restrictions were being lifted, the company became part of the CTN group of five subcontractors across Hampshire, Kent, Cambridgeshire, and Norfolk. Suddenly, the operation at Chandler’s Ford swung from very quiet, to very, very busy.

To relieve a production bottleneck, Kingsbury initially loaned Ingenieur Ltd. a refurbished Hermle C 40 U 5-axis machining centre from their Gosport showroom in February 2022. The machine was subsequently purchased, alongside a brand-new Hemle C 400 5-axis machine, delivered in June 2022.

The machining centre was also linked with an automated HS Flex pallet exchanger, enabling extended periods of unattended running for light-out manufacturing.  

  Chris Barton, General Manager at Ingenieur Ltd. explained, “Before the Hermle machines were installed, we were quoting and winning lots of new business across many industry sectors. In a short space of time, we gained four additional contracts, so extra milling capacity was needed really quickly, which thankfully Kingsbury was able to supply.”

One such contract arrived from a US firm in the security sector. It required the labour-intensive milling of tens of thousands of aluminium components in 20 different specifications across 12 months.

Achieving this level of machining output across a single-day shift in a five-day working week without automation became simply unfeasible. And, sure enough, after just three months, Ingenieur Ltd. had fallen behind schedule. They needed to act, and they turned to Kingsbury.

After considering five different automation options, they settled on the Hermle 5-axis Vertical Turning Centres (VMCs). The Hermle machines were chosen thanks to their premium build quality, trunnion-type operation, and Ingenieur Ltd.’s proximity to Kingsbury, whose service, after-sales support, and engineering excellence has been the difference maker.

With the Hermle machines installed and operational, production efficiency didn’t just increase – it transformed. Ingenieur Ltd. quickly caught up with the US contract backlog, and soon enough, it was well ahead of schedule.  

  Mr Barton is delighted with the automated results. “The automated Hermle cell and the HS Flex work non-stop from first thing Monday morning until mid-morning on Saturday,” he said. “I estimate that an operator is in attendance for just three hours a day, loading and unloading pallets and transferring programs. The production cell runs fully autonomously for the rest of the time.”

Since adopting Hermle automation, Ingenieur Ltd. has found that the technology hasn’t just allowed them to take back control of large-scale contracts, but plumb the gap of scarce operator resources, too.  

 

With the current challenges in recruiting skilled workers across Europe, equipment like the HS Flex has allowed apprentices and less proficient staff to manage and monitor production. This has helped maximise productivity and efficiencies across the shop floor, even when engineer availability is limited.

In conclusion, Mr Barton summarised, “You couldn’t ask for a better automated production cell than the Hermle—it’s brilliant. The equipment is productive, accurate, and user-friendly, and if we have a difficulty or query, nine times out of 10, Kingsbury sorts it out over the phone. We would not hesitate to buy a second cell if production volumes warrant it.”