Arford Steel Profiles spends £600,000 on Esprit Viper plasma profiler

The firm, which has almost doubled its turnover since owner and managing director Diane Kimberley took over in 2006, is spending £600,000 to help the company steal a march on some of its traditional rivals. "The arrival of plasma technology will increase our capacity at a stroke and should make us more responsive to our customers," says Ms Kimberly. "People ordering steel profiles increasingly demand the highest quality work carried out to a tight timescale. They want jobs done quickly, but they also want them done more precisely than ever before. "The new machine will mean we can meet those demands and I hope it can lead to a bright future for us. "Our flame cutting CNC machines are accurate to a certain point and we'll keep them on site because plasma can't cut thicker material. "But for plate up to 50 mm, flame cutting is like using a hammer and chisel compared to this. "The investment takes us on to the next level and will mean we can provide the complete steel cutting service for our customers." The new machine will also allow the company to boost turnover. "We've been turning over £2.5 million consistently, but there was no potential to increase capacity," the owner adds. "We had reached a ceiling with the equipment we had and we couldn't do any more. Now we have somewhere to go with it. "You can't afford to stand still for long in any business and we were determined not to do that. "You have to change, modernise and evolve to stay ahead of the game and we're part of that process. "While a few of our competitors already have this technology, there are many that don't, so I'm sure it will stand us in good stead for the future."