Dawton Engineers – getting right first time and delighting customers

We have backed this up by encouraging close working relationships between our customers and our skills base, initiating product and service improvements. As a direct consequence, our customers come back to us time and again. We are engineers through and through, and work hard to achieve favoured status with customers by consistently providing them with what they want, when they want it, at the right price. Wherever practical, we seek to take our customer relationship forward into a partnership agreement of equal benefit to the customer and Dawton, in terms of manufacturing efficiency. For example, in 2005, Dawton Engineers was commissioned to manufacture and supply the hardware needed for the assembly of three, linked vibration test units - one unit seen here at final assembly at our works. At the time, this represented the largest combined testing unit Ling Dynamics had ever assembled, and called for total commitment by us, in terms of quality control and delivery schedule, in order to fulfil our client's exacting requirements. The finished product enabled our client to win a further order for four of the same machines, to be linked in what is reported will be the largest vibration testing system in the world. Again, all the hardware required in these units -which are to be used for large component testing in the European Ariane space rocket programme - will be supplied by Dawton Engineers. When assessing the requirements for Ling Dynamic Systems' vibration testing equipment, Dawton scored points with the customer in the manufacture of the system's centre poles, which require deep slots. The only way in which these could be achieved was through the use of a metal planer - milling machines not having the ability to reach down far enough. Being able to respond to such demands underlines the foresight of Dawton Engineers directors Mike Dawes and Pete Burton, as demonstrated by the initial shopping list of production machinery, which included this novel piece of equipment. The versatility and distinctiveness of the machine is only matched by the skill and years of experience needed to train an operator; but once that skill has been achieved, it pays dividends. For example, the machine offers considerable advantage, as a single point tool doesn't create stress or heat. This makes it invaluable when machining flimsy components such as aluminium extrusions. Ling Dynamic Systems is target-driven. Failure to hit targets is not an option for the world's largest supplier of electro-dynamic shakers. Along with many other companies, it is adopting lean manufacturing techniques, phasing out central stores and taking components straight through to the shopfloor. Such policies demand total confidence in key suppliers. Dawton Engineers is just such a supplier and has been rewarded with a single source lifetime agreement. "In a nutshell, that is at the heart of our vision for the company future," says Mike Dawes. "Delivering total customer satisfaction gives us total job satisfaction." Another example of Dawton Engineers' work is that undertaken for the oil industry. The world's oil pipelines are subjected to enormous pressures, with changes in climate and temperature demanding the very best in supply equipment. Pictured are 24" sandwich/gate valves that form part of an order for various sizes of valve to be shipped to customers' oil pipelines around the world. The scope and supply of these orders included machining, assembly, proof working and pressure testing. All undertaken and carried out to the exacting requirements our client has come to expect from Dawton. And another example of our work is steel rolling mill gearbox components. What ever your requirement, you can be confident that when you commission Dawton, you will be delighted with the end result.