New agencies and turnkey solutions to the fore at Whitehouse Machine Tools' Open House

Held at the company's Kenilworth showroom from 25 to 29 June, feedback on the recently acquired agency for the Spinner range of German-built machines was said to be very encouraging, with most visitors commenting on the broad depth of models for both multi-axis turning and prismatic machining in the recently expanded programme. Particular interest was shown in the U-series of 5-axis vertical machining centres. High-speed vertical machining centres from the long-established Brother agency range were on show, including the top-end TC-32B QT twin-pallet model with Nikken and Kitagawa rotary tables on its respective pallets. There were two Brother machines fitted with auto loading, which is another requirement that has been increasing in recent years. One was the long-bed, moving-table TC-S2DN-O automated by a Nachi MR20 6-axis robot. Brother has a co-operation agreement in Japan with this robot builder. The other automated machine was a fixed-table 32BN-FT equipped with a 100 rpm Sankyo 5-axis rotary table, fed with components from a 75-pallet System 3R Workpartner 1+ pallet change system. The cell is destined for a medical equipment subcontractor and the pallet magazine is the first example of this new system to be sold. Although not shown at the open house, the Akari HS-450i 4-axis horizontal-spindle machining centre from Averex Automation, Taichung, was represented by a video showing that the machine is built to the highest Japanese quality standards. Capable of machining components weighing up to 500 kg, the machine is of novel design in that it can be expanded retrospectively in the field, easily and affordably, from two to six pallets and from 80 through 120 to 220 tools in about one day. The first machine destined for the Kenilworth showroom is currently on its way from Taiwan. Interest was also shown in what ancillary partners were offering, with visitors appreciating objective advice on adding value to existing equipment and processes. Follow-up visits have already been arranged to discuss projects to retrofit non-contact tool setting and part probing from Blum, an MC20 six-axis Nachi robot, and a System 3R Workpartner 1+. Managing director Tim Whitehouse commented: "While numbers were a little lower than we had hoped for, the quality of visitors was high and the enquiries serious – no tyre-kickers, just customers with a specific requirement or interest. "Given the timing, at the start of the holiday season, we felt that the event was a success. The majority of visitors were existing users and contacts, but, pleasingly, a quarter of people through the door were new to us." Diverse companies were represented, from large tier-one suppliers to the automotive industry with £20 million turnover to owner/operator businesses with a couple of spindles. They included companies from job-shop environments whose production requirements change from week to week and manufacturers with machining cells dedicated to families of components. A strong message to emerge from most of them was that they are looking for more than just a high quality machine tool. The vast majority identified a need for Whitehouse's applications engineering support to provide a fully engineered solution that will be in full production from day one. Mr Whitehouse again: "There has been a tendency over the past couple of decades for British manufacturers to deskill their in-house production teams and rely more heavily on engineers from machine tool suppliers to write programs, help with tooling selection and the like. "We have noticed a steady rise in the amount of applications work we have been asked to do, not only prior to a new machine sale but also when equipment has been in use for a number of years. "It is not unusual to visit a long-established customer and take 30% out of a cycle, which can easily make the difference between the job making a loss or a profit."