Subcon 2008 - Show Preview

In this issue
The whole spectrum of subcontract manufacturing
MFG.com saves Servocell time and money
UK-based manufacturing challenging Far East on cost
Featured suppliers in the spotlight
Machining and worldwide sourcing
What about wireless?
VTL gets close to customers in global markets
Bonspiel factory expansion
Precision turned parts for industry
Cosworth takes off in sea and air
Complex multi-axis programming
Taking the load off blue chip customers
Benson has diamond turning capability
Investment in latest tube technology
Custom moulded products
New metal plating process for plastics
Sign up for Champagne
A complete service for customers
Meet French subcontractors at Subcon 2008

The whole spectrum of subcontract manufacturing

From 22 to 24 April at the NEC, Birmingham, Subcon 2008, the international show for buyers of subcontracting, will give visitors direct access to the whole spectrum of contract manufacturing.

The wide range of products and services on show gives visitors the opportunity to source all their outsourcing needs under one roof.

Manufacturing services on offer cover everything from machined parts, electronic assemblies, castings, plastic mouldings and metal fabrications, through to full manufacturing services, design and build, and rapid prototyping.

The reach of the exhibition is equally wide-ranging, with exhibitors coming from the UK, Europe, India, China, North America and South East Asia. As Exhibition Director Jon Hughes explains, "Subcon is now firmly established as an annual event and reflects the dynamic demands of what is a truly global market. Buyers need to constantly update their sourcing strategies - revisiting their make/buy decisions and developing manufacturing partnerships - and Subcon is the only UK event that allows them to do this on a regional, national and international basis."

The 2008 event will be co-located with several complementary events that will allow visitors to take an even broader look at their sourcing requirements - including deciding whether or not to make components themselves and when to buy in proprietary components.

Subcon 2008 also sees the return of Subcon's highly regarded free seminar programme. This year's presentations are focused on critical issues for buyers of subcontract manufacturing services, including sourcing strategy, new technologies and market opportunities, global sourcing and must-know management information.

MFG.com saves Servocell time and money

MFG.com, the global sourcing marketplace, (Stand K9) helped Harlow company Servocell solve a sourcing headache. Servocell uses piezo-based actuator technology to produce a range of innovative electromechanical locks and gas valves.

Using MFG.com, it sourced two battery to PCB contact terminals from Hong-Kong based Oasis Manufacturing. The parts are simple progression stampings from phosphor-bronze strip.

According to Chrys Chrysostomou, Director of Engineering at Servocell, MFG.com has offered the engineers a huge productivity enhancement. "We've certainly found it very helpful indeed. One of the biggest drains on an engineer's time is trying to find suppliers for parts - and there is an awful lot of legwork involved when you are ‘manually' sourcing components.

It is great to have a service were we can post details and criteria online and vendors bid for the business. The process is now simpler and quicker as well as giving us access to a much larger array of suppliers. "The presentation is great and the user reviews on there are invaluable. If I am sourcing a supplier myself, I am going to have nobody's word except theirs that they are any good. It is great to have the ability to check and see who has done business with them before and what they say about them. And that was how we ultimately decided on Oasis Manufacturing for the parts we have just sourced," says Chrysostomou.

"If it hadn't been for MFG.com, the only option that I could see us seriously exploring was making these things ourselves.

We had started on the path of designing a press tool, but I think we would have ended up having everything etched.

These little 0.2mm phosphor bronze parts would have cost a fortune. Oasis are able to ship us 200,000 of pieces for less than it would have cost to have a press tool made. I'm really very impressed with MFG.com and will certainly be using it again."

UK-based manufacturing challenging Far East on cost

Dynamic Manufacturing Solutions Ltd (DMS), exhibiting on Stand D24, offers a complete solution to manufacturing support requirements with a refreshing approach to procurement and supply chain management. Using industry best practice its procurement team is committed to helping organisations identify suppliers with the quality and reliability to deliver ongoing value and savings.

DMS says it can make a difference to both international organisations looking to augment current outsourcing practices and small businesses looking for savings. It has extensive experience of sourcing custom made components within a manufacturing environment and has an extensive subcontract database covering all manufacturing and assembly processes. Working together it can create a one stop shop; with one enquiry, one quotation, one invoice and one point of contact.

The last year has seen DMS expand its workforce after winning several good contracts. It has also expanded its database within the UK and is finding that a lot of UK-based manufacturing is now starting to challenge the Far East on cost. When this is taken together with the shipping distance and lead time, says the company, it makes sense to buy British if you can.

Featured suppliers in the spotlight

In response to market research among our visitors, this year's Subcon sees the introduction of a special new area for higher tier buyers and selected featured suppliers who meet a set of key qualifying criteria. The Subcon Featured Supplier Zone offers invited buyers the chance to meet a group selection of invited suppliers in a separate VIP area with hostess service and complimentary refreshments.

Invitations to the Featured Supplier Zone will come from the show organisers and the featured suppliers themselves. Entry into this area is on an invite only basis. If you haven't yet received your invitation, email us at subconmarketing@centaur.co.uk

The suppliers taking part in this Feature Zone have been selected on a number of criteria based on the type of companies that our surveyed senior buyers said they wanted to meet - especially those that undertake more than one process and are able to offer a full engineering service from design to completion.

Among the criteria used to select featured suppliers were having sound procedures and systems; having a commitment to quality and skills; investment in customer relationships; and sophisticated planning, project, procurement and supply chain management.

Suppliers so far confirmed include:

• Manx Engineers
• Lupton and Place
• Aeromet
• Cosworth Engineering
• Denroy Plastics
• VTL Group
• Drurys
• Components Worldwide - Mini Gears
• MSP
• Hone-All

Machining and worldwide sourcing

Mini Gears Ltd (Stand F4) is a subcontract engineering company that has won many awards for innovation and machining excellence. Over the last few years the company has transformed itself from being a specialist gear manufacturer only to a company now offering a full range of machining capacity at its 35,000 sq ft factory in the UK, plus an extended product range including machined parts, gears, castings, forgings, stampings and fabrications through its global sourcing division Components Worldwide Ltd.

To keep its customers' products competitive the company has invested in the latest 5 axis CNC machines, restructured its UK factory and purchased a new 12,000 sq ft factory in the Czech Republic: "In the last four years material prices have increased by 90%" says Peter Durkin, Technical Director. "To keep our customers' products competitive and to avoid losing their business to overseas competition we had to reduce our costs to avoid passing on all these increases. Therefore we had to look at the cost of raw materials and components in conjunction with our manufacturing costs".

"At our UK factory we have seen a 110% increase in the number of components produced over these last four years.

This has been achieved by restructuring the shop floor. High volume CNC machines have been adapted into more medium volume producers by massively reducing set up times and introducing more flexible tooling.

"Through our global sourcing division, Components Worldwide, we source from China, where we have our own sourcing facility, employing English speaking engineers with years of experience in sourcing parts for western companies. We have also starting sourcing from India and Eastern Europe."

Sourcing raw materials from low cost economies means that the parts can then, where necessary, be finish machined on the latest CNC machinery in one of the company's own factories. This combination of supply gives the most economic price and enables customers to retain their market competitiveness.

What about wireless?

Cope Technology also asks visitors, ‘Could your existing products benefit from wireless technology?' It provides low-cost, custom solutions for M2M GSM technology and on Stand 29 will show a typical GSM/GPRS interface board that lets you keep control of your machines from anywhere you have mobile phone or internet access.

Based in the West Midlands, Cope Technology has 8500 sq ft of electronics assembly facilities that are 100% dedicated to contract manufacturing. With 25 years experience in the manufacture of simple and complex assemblies, the company says it provides the professional environment for outsourced electronic engineering. Specializing in the manufacture of products ranging from simple microcontroller boards to more complex control systems, it will support both irregular batch quantities or continuous production to Kanban call off.

Cope's electronic manufacturing services include full parts procurement, fast PCB prototypes, surface mount and conventional assembly, programming and testing, cleaning and final boxing.

It offers a fast and creative pcb layout service, designed for manufacture and test, inclusive of EMC and LVD considerations.

It is equally happy to talk about full turnkey embedded microcontroller design and can also provide test solutions, jigs and fixtures.

VTL gets close to customers in global markets

Featured supplier VTL Group (Stand D15) is a leading precision engineering and manufacturing company specialising in the design and manufacture of large volume high precision components and assemblies. The group supplies major OEMs and end users in the automotive, truck and industrial sectors, and employs 260 people in 5 manufacturing plants across Europe, Asia and North America. In 2008 it will open a further factory in India.

The new Indian company, a joint venture with Uni-Deritend, India's leading manufacturer of investment castings, will be up and running by September 2008 in a new purpose built factory in Dharwad. Uni-Vtl Precision Engineering Pvt Ltd aims to be a new force in the market, bringing together two established leaders in their field to offer total lifecycle precision engineered component solutions. Typical activities in the new factory will include forging, milling, turning, grinding and assembly of precision components such as transmission selector forks, synchroniser rings, and other precision turned and milled components.

Bonspiel factory expansion

Subcon exhibitor Bonspiel Engineering Ltd (Stand C32) has just completed an extension adding 40% of factory floor space to it's existing facility. Already the largest Star CNC user in the UK, Bonspiel intends to develop a new fixed head section in the facility along with increasing its number of 32mm Star machines. The last two years have seen rapid expansion, with over £1million invested in new plant and machinery.

Bonspiel's managing director Steve Bruce says, "We have added both Automotive and Medical customers to our existing base of mainly Oil and Aerospace customers. Our common goals of continuous improvement, training, innovation and investment in the very best technology will enable us to face future demands with confidence.

"We supply parts from prototype through to volume production and offer Early Supplier Involvement (ESI) at the development stage to try to take out cost and improve ease of manufacture without compromising the functionality."

"Attending Subcon will enable us to meet new potential customers in the marketplace. As well as extending our production facility floorspace by 40% we also intend to expand the range we offer by purchasing our first ever fixed head machine in May 2008 and will have capacity available to sell on it." He adds that as well as a warm welcome visitors to the Stand (C32) will have the chance to win a bottle of Scottish Malt Whisky in a business card draw.

Precision turned parts for industry

Featured supplier MSP Ltd (Stand B10) is a leading manufacturer of precision turned parts for industry. It supplies medium to high volume turned parts from 1 to 94mm diameter in steel, brass and aluminium for applications ranging from automotive and electrical through to gas and hydraulics. Experience and a highly skilled workforce allow MSP to develop new techniques and processes to meet the changing needs of its customers, and rapid JIT response is one of the customer driven demands MSP have embraced. Others include zero defects, advance quality planning and a policy of continued excellence. Parts are produced on 13 Wickman Multi spindle autos, 5 Sliding head, 3 Fixed head & 1 Twin Spindle Twin Turret CNC machines.

To remain a market leader in the production of precision turned Parts, MSP Limited is committed to investing in state-of-the-art CNC machines to satisfy the ever increasing requirements of its customers. It has moved from traditional multi spindle production to CNC sliding head and fixed head machines that enable it to machine most materials, including 316 Stainless steel from 1mm to 94mm diameter and up to 1 metre in length. Typical batch quantities of 500 up to 100,000 a year.

By introducing the newest technology, it has become possible for MSP to meet the complex needs of its customers.

The axis configuration and diameter range of MSP's machines provides excellent flexibility and a capacity to manufacture complex components for every industrial sector.

Cosworth takes off in sea and air

Featured supplier Cosworth has been awarded a major contract by Rolls-Royce to supply components for the Deltic engine used by the Royal Navy. The contract includes engineering services and manufacture of engine components at Cosworth's world class facility in Northampton, UK. It has also just commissioned a new high speed piston manufacturing line targeted at the aerospace and niche engines markets - it is the largest investment of its kind for a high speed piston manufacturing line in the UK for at least two decades.

In September 2007 the company received the prestigious AS9100 quality management accreditation and has already won a large contract with Lycoming to supply pistons for its general aviation engines.

The new piston line is capable of machining complex crown and skirt features on pistons ranging in diameter from 50mm to 180mm. The machining process is fully automated once blank pistons have been loaded, and the system is complemented by a laser etching station where a 2D data matrix is etched to provide full traceability for each piston. Quality is of paramount importance for Cosworth's customers; each piston goes through a thorough crack testing process immediately after machining.

The whole system, supplied by Takisawa of Japan was installed and commissioned over a period of three months, and has undergone stringent trials to meet strict customer requirements.

Commenting on the Rolls Royce order, Jog Lall, Sales & Marketing Director at Cosworth said, "When we first started the discussion with Rolls-Royce, it was made very clear they required a supplier with facilities to provide complete technical support from material science to engine component design and testing, and the capability to manufacture complex components in relatively small batch sizes. Cosworth demonstrated the ability to meet Rolls-Royce's requirements."

Engineering work will commence immediately and the first set of components is planned for delivery in quarter three 2008.

Tim Routsis, CEO of the Cosworth Group added "We are now in our third year of business diversification and, once again, have shown that Cosworth's design, development, testing, manufacturing and support services are sought after in many adjacent market sectors. I'm pleased to say our aerospace and defencebusiness unit has now secured its third major contract".

Complex multi-axis programming

Unlike many CAD-CAM vendors, Subcon exhibitor Somatech specialises purely in the programming of multi-axis, multispindle machine tools. Its vision is to provide the best possible products, service and support for Swiss (sliding head) lathes, 5-axis wire erosion machines, 5-axis simultaneous milling machines, main and sub-spindle lathe processing with C Y & B axis control, robotic functionality and part transfer.

Utilising the Esprit software from Dptechnology inc Somatech says it can deliver a perfect solution for planning and managing complex synchronized processes. Somatech Cnc-Cam Ltd is part of the Solva Group, a Netherlands-based concern that is one of the largest CAD-CAM solution providers in Europe.

With over 25 years of manufacturing experience, Somatech offers a professional and competent consultancy.

It works together with many machine tool vendors and manufacturers to provide turnkey solutions for Britain's manufacturing community. It offers guaranteed individual solutions that improve the efficiency and organisation of manufacturing processes.

Each solution comes with professional training and installation, and Somatech's networked helpdesk ensures that each customer is provided with a fast and workable solution. Somatech is exhibiting on Stand E2.

Taking the load off blue chip customers

The past 12 months have seen the successful launch of a new contracts division at Barker Collins (Stand F13). Three major contracts, with a combined value of £1.5m a year have been won as blue chip clients have taken advantage of the opportunity to set up a contract cell within Barker Collins to alleviate in-house overload problems.

Clients can rest safe in the knowledge that new machine tools, duplicated capacity, scheduled machine maintenance, back up tooling and a flexible workforce insure against contract down time.

To support this new service and its existing operations Barker Collins has embarked on a major investment programme from late 2007 into early 2008. The range of new multi-axis machine capacity the company has installed includes a further Daewoo Doosan 5-axis CNC horizontal borer, a Giddings & Lewis 5-axis CNC horizontal borer, a further Kuraki 5-axis CNC horizontal borer, a Sacem 5-axis horizontal borer and a Hartford CNC machining centre. An additional investment in a tilting and rotating table allows 6-axis machining on the larger machines.

Furthermore, as the division is scheduled to increase its load by circa 60% during 2008 it will begin relocation into a 45000 sq ft factory this year and add two further brand new 5-axis CNC borers.

Benson has diamond turning capability

For 27 years Benson Engineering has meeting industry's need for the most demanding turned parts in brass, aluminium, stainless steel, carbon steel, copper and plastics. The company, which is exhibiting on Stand K1, is based at a 6500 square foot factory in Killarney and has been using Tornos sliding machines since its inception.

It recently added four Tornos DECO 2000 20a machines to bring the number of CNC Machines to eight. As well as lathes, the company also uses six station rotary transfer machines for second operations such as milling, which cannot be completed during the turning cycle.

Additionally, and uniquely in Ireland, it has the capability for diamond turning using single crystal natural diamond tools, which can achieve surface finishes in the range 0.4-2.0 micro inches Ra.

A wholly Irish-owned Company established in 1980 by Tom and Betty Benson, all of its setters are time-served toolmakers. The company regularly gets involved at the product development stages with its customers' project engineers and also during automation and cost reduction projects. The company exports to the UK, the USA, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland, Sweden, Italy and the Asia-Pacific region.

Investment in latest tube technology

Having relocated into a new 12,000 sq m purpose designed factory last year, the directors of Willenhall Tube are now investing in the future with the acquisition of the very latest ‘stateof-the-art' multistack CNC bending technology, robotic welding and high precision laser measuring equipment.

Representing more than £1/2 million of investment, a BLM E-Bend 52, new advanced end-forming machinery; robot welding and MT4 laser measuring equipment will enable WTF to provide a comprehensive range of highly efficient and cost effective operations ranging from simple tube forming to the most complex of designs.

With a view to establishing WTF as a major component supplier to a number of key industries, the company is hoping to capitalise on its manufacturing expertise, which spans more than 60 years, together with its industry reputation for quality, delivery and service. Willenhall Tube & Forging Ltd is exhibiting on Stand A11 at Subcon 2008. Its services include tube manipulation, presswork, welding, and assembly for markets that include automotive, gardening, medical, leisure and commercial seating.

Custom moulded products

Featured supplier Denroy Plastics (Stand F16), part of the Denroy Group, specialises in the design and manufacture of custom moulded products to a variety of industry sectors including civil and military aerospace, defence, automotive, medical and consumer products, operates from two factories in Bangor.

It operates from two factories in Bangor, County Down, that together cover an area of 7,500 square metres and house some of the most advanced design, tooling and manufacturing equipment available. The company also has sales offices in London, England and in Boston, USA Using the latest CAD/CAM technology, its technical team works closely with each customer from an early stage, where its expertise in moulding can be invaluable and can help to accelerate the product's time to market.

Equipment assets as the modern manufacturing operation include 34 moulding machines ranging from 5 to 720 tonne capacity (including two shot moulding), as well as additional services include printing, painting, kitting and sub assemblies. Denroy's sharp focus on quality and customer service standards has enabled it to secure and retain significant business from major international corporations, as well as smaller technology led companies.

This is also indicated by the quality approvals that it has achieved, which include ISO 9001:2000, AS9100 from BSI and QMMY: E21290 for the manufacture of plastic components. Furthermore, the company holds accreditation from a number of international customers such as Airbus, BAE Systems, Bombardier, Thales, NACCO Materials Handling and Rockwell Collins.

New metal plating process for plastics

Saxonia Galvanik GmbH (Stand D11) of Halsbruecke, Germany will launch an innovative process for plating high temperature polymers with PPS coatings for electronics and antenna applications. The company offersa wide rangeof decorative and functional electroplated metal coatings on a wide range of plastics, including difficult materials such as mineral filled PA and ABS/ PC. The service includes full and selective plating, including high volume applications, with coatings that include copper, nickel, satin and glossy chrome, 3Q7 (aluminium look) and tri-chrome.

Saxonia also offers selective plating of 2-component plastic parts with a special 2K–process, and will showcase components for internal and external automotive applications, telecommunications, electrical engineering, electronics and the sanitary industry.

Sign up for Champagne

Subcon 2008 media partner, Engineering Capacity is offering visitors the chance to win a bottle of Champagne if they register for the magazine’s free weekly email newsletter. Engineering Capacity is the only UK magazine that purely concentrates on providing news and features on companies offering subcontract manufacturing services - and it is free to qualifying readers,who can request their monthly copy online at www.engineeringcapacity.com.

The weekly email newsletter provides an up-to-date selection of the latest news from the sector, and anyone signing up for a copy between now and the end of the show will be entered in a prize draw for a bottle of Bollinger Champagne.

To enter the draw and start receiving your weekly newsletter simple email you name, company and job title to editor@engineeringcapacity.com or visit Stand J24 at the show.

A complete service for customers

Arterial UK (Stand B14) says its primary goal is to offer its customers a complete service from initial contact to reliable delivery of the highest quality precision products. Specialising in the automated production of precision machined components in all major industry sectors and with experience in a wide range of materials, Arterial has invested in a portfolio of equipment that can focus directly on the customer’s requirements, ensuring that the most economical manufacturing solution is achieved. This include five-axis machining centres and multi-axis CNC turning. The company also offers added value through stock management, assembly and all finishing operations such as heat treatment, plating and ultrasonic cleaning.

The company has grown rapidly since it was set up in 2003 in a small garage. It soon moved to a 1,100 sq ft factory and, quickly outgrowing this, transferred to bigger premises in July 2004. Capacity was further enhanced by the acquisition of another engineering business in March 2005, increasing manufacturing space to 6,000 sq ft. Then in July 2006 Arterial relocated to Sturminster Marshall in Dorset, further increasing manufacturing space to its present size of 10,000 sq ft. Arterial Director David Ross says, “The very best results are achieved when your needs are met in full; co-operative working ensures that we get the best from each other. This philosophy has enabled us to establish successful partnerships in many key industry sectors including aerospace, defence, medical, oil and gas, hydraulics and electronics.

Meet French subcontractors at Subcon 2008

Visitors to the French Pavilion at Subcon 2008, which runs at the NEC Birmingham from 22 to 24 April will have the chance to meet representative from 16 leading subcontractors - and also have the chance to win some French Champagne.

The Pavilion - stands G3 to G10 - includes companies offering services ranging from machining services such as milling and turning, to drop forging, deep drawing, welding, surface engineering and electrical design.

Participants include:

ASD Service Industrie (Stand G 8), a sales development agent for multi-technology SMEs offering machining, forming, stamping, plastics, sintering and tubes.

Andre Guemene (Stand G 10), precision engineers specializing in medium to high volume work including design, development, production, welding and assembly.

Bretagne International (Stand G 10) is a non-profit association of private companies located in Western France. It has been commissioned by the Regional Government of Bretagne to assist Breton companies in their international development, to identify projects of investment in Bretagne and to support foreign companies planning to invest in Bretagne.

Canon Bretagne (Stand G 10) part of the global Canon group, is a complete industrial service provider that can assist in developing and commercialising new products, introducing more efficient and cost-effective production methods, manufacturing, packaging and logistics.

DALIC UK Limited (Stand G 10) offers special patented technology for selective electro-plating and surface engineering. This can be applied by the customer's own technicians, by DALIC in the customer's factory, or by DALIC in France. The system plates only the selected area, and is applied in-situ to protect, rebuild, repair and improve surfaces.

Decayeax - STI (Stand G 9) produces hot stamped parts in non ferrous material including copper, aluminium and brass for industries that include electrical equipment, luxury goods, air-conditioning, automotive and food. It also offers sheet metal work, tube forming, tube welding MIG/TIG and deep drawing.

Evodia (stand G10) has developed a range of software and services for capturing and recognising handwritten drawings and which are AutoCAD compatible. Script&Go 'Electrical Sketches' enables users to draw electrical sketches freehand. The products are simple, quick and effective - ideal for staff that need to make technical drawings 'on the go'.

Favi (Stand G 3) is a leading supplier of pressure diecastings in copper allows for technical parts from 0.5g up to 3kg in small or large volumes.

Guy Degrenne (stand G5) offers complete sub-assemblies and deep drawings in stainless steel and aluminium including services like 3D laser cutting, TIG, laser, electrical soldering and welding, and polishing.

JC Jacques Soudure (Stand G 6) offers fine limit sheet metal work, welding, riveting, painting and assembly services to the aerospace and other sectors.

Kerpont Industrie (Stand G 10) offers CNC machining with the emphasis on fast response and high quality.

Kolly Precision (Stand G6) is a key supplier to the aerospace and other industrial sectors, producing machined parts and sub-assemblies. It is respected for the quality of finish and high polish it offers and provides design services, prototypes, testing, fabrication & machining, metals, mechanical sub-assemblies, sheetmetal manufacture.

Pouchard Tubes (Stand G8) offers a range of carbon steel tubes covering 5,000 references and has 15,000 tons of stock. Sizes are 6-700mm in diameter of round, square or rectangular tube plus chromed bars, for the mechanical, hydraulic, heat, construction and piping industries. It also offers heat and surface treatments, cutting and other subcontracted services.

Sadev Group (Stand G 5) offers precision turned parts from 0.8 up to 60 mm diameter in all materials and batch sizes from production facilities in France, China and Vietnam.

Stevenin-Nollevaux (Stand G 4) manufactures drop forgings up to 5 kgs. With in-house machining facilities, it offers design, rapid prototyping and finished products including welding and assembly.

UHC (Stand G7) specialises in producing precision machined parts for the luxury and industrial sectors, offering bespoke design and manufacture. It manufactures clasps and fasteners for the watch making, leather goods and jewellery sectors and precision parts for the medical and other sectors.

The Pavilion is hosted by Laurence Gros Ltd, UK representative of FIM (French Federation of Mechanical Engineering) which includes 43 Trade Associations. Laurence Gros Ltd organises the French Pavilion at Subcon and can also assist with setting up businesses in France.