G22 AWARDS

A Little

Understanding… Goes A Long Way

And never has that been truer than when specifying frame fabrication machinery. So say Adam Jones and Sean Mackey, owners of Coventry-based Jade Engineering Ltd, who increasingly find themselves riding to the rescue of frame makers that invest large sums of cash in new, complex automated machinery, without fully understanding the implications of their purchase.

That such problems develop is understandable, says Adam: “With the difficulties many fabricators have in finding skilled, reliable staff to work for them, together with the fluctuations in the market caused by the difficulties faced by homeowners, many are investing heavily in CNC machinery for the first time, or upgrading old kit that they have had for years. It’s the right way to go…CNC machines increase throughput, improve quality and obviously reduce reliance upon staff, with one skilled operator doing the work of many.

“However,” continued Adam, it is not as simple as looking at the specs for individual machines, working out the finance and placing the order. Because as good as the latest CNC machinery is, they and the associated kit required, need to be combined into a planned package based upon the detailed and varying production requirements of every fabricator. Whatever the brochure says, there is no ‘one size fits all’.”

Sean agrees and warns: “We have a very good business that has emerged from being called in to sort out what appear to be niggling issues in day-to-day production that manifest themselves after new machinery has been installed. The machinery supplier does not understand the implications of what happens outside of their piece of kit or the wider implications of the

Adam Jones Sean Mackey

needs of the fabricator. A bottleneck appears for example, or the flow-rate is well below expectations and needs, and production output might even fall. And we are frequently called to help out.”

But why would any self-respecting fabricator turn to Jade? The answer lies in the fact that Jade Engineering will inevitably have supplied the machine tools for most of the existing kit that the fabricator has been using for years and might even have a corner cleaner or end miller that they bought in the early days of setting up and which are still going strong now. Jade Engineering’s products might quite literally be operating behind the scenes, but every PVC-U and the majority of aluminium fabricators will know the name. But often, it’s out of sight, out of mind, says Adam: “Obviously we would love to sell every bit of kit that goes into every frame making shop, but even we can’t supply everything,” he quipped. “But our name is well known at least for providing the tooling used by every frame maker at one time or another, for the standalone, specialist single-function machines that sit between the £100,000 CNCs and we have developed a good rapport with many of them. And in those chats we have with the production manager or the owner of the firm when they are buying new tools, for example, we know quite a lot about what they make and how they make it.”

Those off-the-cuff chats about day-to-day production issues have now turned into a separate division for Jade Engineering, as Sean explains: “We have re-branded the company into three distinct divisions to better enable our customers to understand the extent of what we do. Jade Tooling and Jade Machines are self-explanatory to a degree, but Jade Consult was added when we moved from advising tooling customers of ours how they could perform a reverse butt weld with the new kit they’d purchased, to planning and supplying a whole production line for them. Jade Consult is now big business for us…and it’s important that our customers know how much more we can do for them than the tools or special-purpose machines.”

Jade Consult includes some of the UK window and door industry’s tops brands as its customers, who understand that their business is making frames, and the machinery required to manufacture them, is better advised by specialists: “Because of the unique position we have, having supplied products to almost every frame fabricator in the country, we have developed a depth and breadth of knowledge that is unique. We know what they make and how they want to make it, because our products have been specified for the process, or at least for part of it,” said Adam. “That gives us unique access. So when they call to say that they’ve a bottle-neck forming even after their new, hugely expensive machine has been installed, we can pretty much guess why…but these days, we can solve the problem before it even occurs, if they come to us first,” he concluded.

Stuga Machinery Appoints New Commerical & Sales Director As Steve Haines Retires Following the acquisition of Great Yarmouth based manufacturer Stuga by Stürtz Maschinenbau in Germany, the company has now appointed a new commercial & sales director to spearhead ambitious growth plans and take over the reins from Steve Haines, who retires in December this year after a lifetime of service in the fenestration industry. To say that Steve’s influence in the adoption of automated machinery for the fenestration industry in the UK is massive would be an understatement. Steve was destined for a career in sales very early on: having started his career as an apprentice for aerospace giant Rolls Royce (Engine Division) in the 1960s and a role in general management at a large multi-national, Steve moved into sales in the 1970s. In 1982 Steve began a machinery agency in the fenestration industry (Wegoma UK Ltd) and was MD until 1992. Steve grew the agency to be one of the biggest agencies in the UK and during that period even sold Sturtz cleaning equipment and eventually welding machines. In 1992 Steve took over the running of Actual UK and sold their welding and cleaning machines until eventually beginning his career-defining relationship with Stuga in 1999. Steve initially joined Stuga as a consultant and it is fair to say that Steve’s impression was enormous and positive. “Steve’s efforts single handedly put Stuga on the

map and built our brand over the years that followed” says Gareth Green, Stuga’s Technical Director, son of the founder and previous owner. “Steve made the name Stuga synonymous in the industry - customers didn’t buy a machining centre, they bought a Stuga”, Green continues.

Steve can be recognised as being the first person to bring entry-level and cost effective automated machining solutions to the UK fenestration industry, at a time when many factories were using aged semi-automatic machines in very labour-intensive processes.

Steve became a shareholder in Stuga in 2009 and has since steered the company to greater and greater successes, culminating in them being the focus of attention from German-giant Stürtz.

With over 20 years’ experience in senior sales, project and product management roles, new appointment Ed Williams brings with it a wealth of knowledge and experience. Having been responsible for the strategic direction, enhancement and financial performance of a range of products and services in previous roles within the packaging industry, Williams’s track-record will provide a sound base on which to meet the growth demands set out by Stürtz Group.

“The chance to join the team at Stuga and lead the growth of the business – in particular the re-introduction to the UK & ROI markets of the excellent portfolio of Stürtz machines – was too great an opportunity to miss” says Williams.

The technical fit of Stuga and Stürtz machine portfolios makes for an exciting prospect and will place Stuga in a position to offer a one-stop-shop approach to manufacturers and fabricators throughout the industry, from small startups to large corproates. “The bringing together of Stuga’s well-trusted sawing and machine capability alongside the range of automated systems from Stürtz is a match made in heaven – there is nobody else in the fenestration industry who offers turnkey solutions of this magnitude and scope and it’s a perfect time to apply my 20+ years of experience, as the industry seeks to overcome labour-market challenges and invest more in automated solutions, energy efficiency and predictive maintenance,” adds Williams.

When asked to comment on how Stuga and Stürtz will realise their ambitious growth targets, Williams pointed out: “Stürtz Group have a very simple approach – we have products and services that the industry trusts, coupled with a reputation and service structure on which to support that growth.

“Acquisitions like this can often create doubt in the minds of customers who’ve come to know the Stuga brand over years of working together,” explains Williams, when asked about the reception of the Stürtz and Stuga merger. “But UK customers can be assured by the fact that Gareth has invested his future in in the form of becoming a Stürtz shareholder, and my appointment to ensure local commercial activity is focussed in the right areas of customer satisfaction and reliability.”

For more information about Stuga Machinery Limited click here or for more information about Stürtz click here

Specialist fabricator Prefix Systems (UK) Ltd has invested in a FOM Industrie FMC 470 CNC Machining Centre from Haffner. The new machine was installed at Prefix Systems’ state of-the-art aluminium manufacturing centre in Blackburn, Lancashire and the award-winning fabricator has already reported a strong return on investment. Chris Baron, director at Prefix Systems (UK), said: “We are constantly looking for ways to improve our manufacturing process. Sales of our WARMroof system continue to grow and we needed to find ways to unlock more volume through our factory. The FOM 470 machining centre allows us to increase throughput. The 4-axis machine is more versatile than our existing aluminium CNC, resulting in a more efficient production process and allowing us to stay on top of our quality control.”

Prefix Systems Invest In Haffner Automation Chris was also impressed by the service and attention to detail they received from Haffner. He said: “When we decided to purchase another CNC machine, we approached various suppliers to see what options were available. The support we received from Haffner from the start was first class. When manufacturers like us make a substantial investment in a new machine, we need reassurance that the supplier is going to support us from point of sale to commissioning and Haffner delivered at every level for us.” The FOM Industrie FMC 470 CNC Machining Centre has four controlled axes and has been designed to carry out drilling and milling operations on aluminium profiles. Features include multi piece loading, X Flow and a tool integrity system to streamline operations and enhance product quality. Established in 1996, Prefix Systems is claimed to have grown to be the UK’s largest independent glass and solid roof fabricator offering a wide range of conservatory, home living and glazing solutions. Alongside their award winning WARMroof system, the company also manufacture a range of high-quality aluminium window and door products and operates across a multi-site operation to support their growing customer base throughout the UK. Matt Thomas, managing director at Haffner, commented: “Following our initial consultation with Prefix Systems, we recommended the FMC 470 CNC Machining Centre as we knew the machine would deliver the manufacturing accuracy and high-quality output the company required. As Chris is finding, the automated precision speeds up production and is extremely user-friendly. We are delighted that Prefix System are pleased with their purchase.” www.haffnerltd.com