Amada provides light relief at Dextra

Published : February 10, 2010

At Dextra we have always looked to invest in the company’s future by adopting the very latest technology. We are the largest privately-owned luminaire manufacturer in the UK and as a matter of principle we have no machines at our facility in Gillingham, Dorset older than seven years. We work two shifts a day plus some overtime so after seven years our machines have worked pretty hard.

The latest machines facing recent replacement were our range of Amada HFE press brakes. We have used Amada equipment at Dextra for a number of years and although the HFE models had served us well, machine tool technology moves on so fast. We knew that upgrading to the latest Amada HFP models would help reduce set-up times, principally through the use of more advanced software and a bend angle measuring system to asses fold accuracy and transmit any necessary adjustments to the Amada AMNC-PC control.

At Dextra, we wanted this investment to change the culture, so we decided that the press brakes must be programmed offline and be easy to set-up and operate. This would maximise available time on the press brake for the actual bending of parts. Too much time is spent setting up press brakes, loading programs, finding what tools are used and where they need to be positioned.

The next step is the introduction of the offline programming system. The SheetWorks and Dr Abe Bend system takes the company’s 3D product designs and generate the bending program and tool layouts automatically. The software also ‘nests’ tool layouts to minimise the number of machine set-ups required to produce a range of parts – again minimising machine downtime.

With a single swipe of a barcode, programs can be uploaded to any of our six new HFP press brakes. This also calls up tooling data, while the tool navigation function shows the operator where to place the tools along the 2m bed, which is great as many of our parts are fairly complex, often featuring special shapes and curves. The end result is reduced set-up times for new and repeat jobs.

This is essential as we currently have a product portfolio that extends beyond 5000 different items ranging in value from £6 up to £200. With batch sizes typically quite small at 1000-off maximum, it is vital we have short set-up times.

As the HFP is connected to our company network the program and set-up data become a company asset, therefore we’re not reliant on operators filling in set-up sheets. All the data is readily available to retrieve on any of the HFP machines.

Another bonus is that the easy-to-use AMNC-PC control allows even the least experienced of operators to set-up and bend components, freeing up valuable time for more experienced employees to utilise their skills more effectively. It also provides compatibility to our existing Amada EML, EM and Acute blanking machines. All the machines now share a common database so that the latest process monitoring software can be used.

Again this is a real advantage as at Dextra we operate a Just-in-Time (JIT) delivery system for our customers. Around 80 per cent of what we manufacture during any working day is shipped out in the evening. This is one of our chief differentiating factors as our competitors often quote 6-8 weeks delivery. JIT means we can keep our warehousing levels to a minimum and spend more on new technology, ultimately making us more competitive.

This is great news for us because although we’ve had a good year considering the recession, it is important we continue to lead the field. We are constantly introducing new products with wide market appeal, such as our recently launched energy-efficient luminaries, but optimised and efficient manufacture has an equally important impact on the bottom line.

Of course it goes without saying that greater speed does not mean less quality. We have many high profile customers in sectors that range from supermarkets, education establishments and government departments through to commercial and industrial facilities, as well as domestic households. Quality is paramount to our reputation.

In summary we find all Amada machines to be good commercial systems that are both reliable and fast. Our experience of using Amada is extremely positive which is why we didn’t look anywhere else when deciding to replace our HFE press brakes. The order was for six machines – and despite a turnover at Dextra of £50 million – it represented a significant investment in anyone’s book. However, Amada have always looked after our requirements and I firmly believe that loyalty works both ways.

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