Hone-Alls' new factory marks new beginning

The new factory in Cherrycourt Way, Leighton Buzzard, is twice the size of the specialist sub-contractor’s existing premises in nearby Dunstable. The move coincides with the purchase of two additional honing machines and the re-conditioning of the largest of the company’s three deep hole boring machines. “This marks a new beginning for Hone-All Precision,” says Andrea Rodney, director. “Doubling the size of our premises means we will be able to achieve significant productivity improvements by re-planning the shopfloor with the emphasis very much on lean manufacture. Consolidating onto a single site will also ease the pressure on the management team and, while we have no immediate plans to recruit more people, we will be much better placed to expand the business in the longer term. “The benefits from relocating will be seen right across the business, from workplace improvements such as better heating and ventilation and more natural light to process improvements such as easier access for loading and unloading of material and finished parts. Customers will benefit not just in terms of our precision machining capability but from an increased capacity for holding stocks of materials and customers’ machined components – which will enable Hone-All Precision to offer a ‘call off’ facility for repeat components.” New offices and a meeting room will also feature in the ‘new look’ company, with the ISO 9001:2000-accredited sub-contractor acknowledging that image has a part to play in retaining customer confidence.