A precision engineering firm has invested £90,000 in improving lead times and increasing capacity for bigger contracts.

Staffordshire Precision Engineering, in Newcastle-under-Lyme , spent the money on a new Daewoo Puma lathe, which combines features driven tooling and a sub-spindle for secondary turning and milling operations.

This means orders can be completed much quicker and more cost-effectively, by reducing work in progress.

Most of the jobs scheduled for the new machine will come off complete, where previously they had to be loaded again for second operation turning, and scheduled on to a milling machine for milling operations.

The purchase is part of a wider lean manufacturing initiative by joint MDs Phil and Gary Smith, to improve productivity by removing unnecessary tasks from the company's working procedures.

Phil Smith said: “We are looking to build for the future by streamlining our processes and improving our performance.

“The new lathe will enable us to save on run times, meaning we can complete jobs quicker and compete for bigger contracts.”

Staffordshire Precision specialise in producing components for a wide range of manufacturing industries, including medical instruments, casino outfitters, and the automotive sector.

For more information, contact Richard Swancott at MarketCare PR on 01782 416371 or 07880 733138, or via email at richardswancott@marketcare.net .

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