RT Quaife Engineering, a specialist automotive subcontractor, has recently invested in 11 new Doosan CNC machine tools supplied by Mills CNC.
The machines were installed at the company's two facilities in Sevenoaks and Gillingham between March and May 2010, and are being used to manufacture a diverse range of RT Quaife's drive-line products (e.g. gearboxes, gear kits, four wheel drive systems, power take-off units and ATB 'Automatic Torque Biasing' differentials) for its motorsport, OEM and military vehicle customers.
The 11 machines (5 x DNM vertical machining centres, 4 x Puma 280 lathes and 2 x Lynx 220B lathes), represent a significant investment and provide RT Quaife with additional machining capacity and improved manufacturing capabilities at both of its Kent sites.
An initial revamp of the company's milling capabilities led to further investment after talking to Mills CNC, as director Michael Quaife explains: "We liked the look, the spec and the performance of the Doosan vertical machining centres that were presented to us but we were just as impressed with the approach, technical back-up and service that Mills CNC was able to offer as well.
"A visit to Mills' facility in Leamington was arranged and we were once again impressed by the depth and professionalism of the support organisation and structures we saw.
"So, in addition to agreeing what our milling investment should be we also started talking to Mills about improving our turning capabilities at our Gillingham facility and these discussions, plus subsequent successful and impressive test cut results by the recommended Lynx and Puma lathes, helped persuade us to purchase 6 x new Doosan lathes, as well as the 5 x new Doosan DNM verticals."
The reliability of the new machines means that RT Quaife can not only meet its tight manufacturing deadlines and lead times but has also been able to ramp up production.