Machine data drives 30% growth

“Initially, the guys on the shop floor were a little reluctant but soon became interested to see how it worked. It didn’t take long for them to become competitive, wanting to get the best machine efficiency scores resulting in utilisation going from 75% to 100%. This means that we are making more products with the same resources, lowering the cost of manufacturing the goods and therefore improving profitability.”

The extra capacity created by utilising the existing machinery more effectively has also created more jobs. They identified that they could change the way the shop floor was configured and put in an extra machine operator. Doing so made them more productive and the extra operator pays for himself because the machines won't be stood idle.

Since installing FourJaw on their machines, the team at Sterling Machining has improved many of its processes, informed by the platform’s accurate, realtime data. For example, the team uses historic data to see how long similar jobs have taken and use this information to quote more confidently for future work.

The management team at Sterling has also used FourJaw’s data insight to make informed decisions when considering large capital outlays, such as new machines. Andy describes the situation, many manufacturers come up against: “You may have been in the position where you think you need to buy another machine because you think you’ve got a capacity problem, but now we use FourJaw we can see where we have capacity that we’re not using.

“In summary, FourJaw is the tool we use to maintain a ‘drumbeat’ of improvement and create a healthy, competitive environment to keep trying to do better.”

8 sterlingmachining.co.uk fourjaw.com

Bilbao’s +Industrie 23 exhibition attracted more than 11,800 visitors to a cluster of six shows including the Subcontración subcontract manufacturing event, as well as events covering additive manufacturing, digital manufacturing, pumps and valves and industrial maintenance.

Xabier Basañez, General Manager of Bilbao Exhibition Centre (BEC), said “BEC has become for three days the epicentre of the latest technologies and developments in cutting-edge products, processes and solutions to boost competitiveness and activate new business opportunities around advanced manufacturing”.

Speaking at the opening of the event, by Tamara Yagüe, President of the Biscayan Federation of Metal Companies, said it was: “… a great opportunity to open up again to the world and show the capacity of our sector to a large number of visitors and a must for all the companies that work in this sector and for the industry as a whole.”

A total of 841 exhibitors attracted visitors from 58 countries around the world, predominantly from Europe but also from China, India, South America, The Middle East and Asia.

An extensive content programme included innovation workshops, networking events, B2B meetings and a conference. The conference featured 50