Automotive production costs reduced with Star sliding-head lathe

Established in 2000, the firm has previously operated multi- and single-spindle cam autos as well as CNC fixed-head lathes. Its first slider, a Star SR-20J, was installed in July 2009 to reduce the production costs of four diesel engine components. One part needed two separate operations while the other three components were traditionally produced in three operations; blank turning followed by manual milling and then drilling/reaming. All are now produced from bar in one visit to the Star multi-axis CNC sliding-head lathe. Steve Clifford, a director of SEC, says: "We produce 6,000 of each diesel engine component on the Star and ship them every month, whereas before we had to spread delivery over two months. There is no longer part-finished work-in-progress cluttering the shop floor, which is useful as space is limited at present. Cash flow is better now, as we can invoice quicker and secure payment earlier. A further advantage is a big saving in labour costs, which helps us to keep prices competitive, despite having to pay for the new machine." By automating production jobs that previously required a lot of manual intervention, SEC has been able to take advantage of ghost shift working on the Star lathe. The machine is supervised until 10 pm and then left to run unattended through the night, enabling the company, according to Mr Clifford, to benefit from the extra production "for free".