Pratt Burnerd in full production after £500,000 investment

Direct investment included the purchase of 5 CNC lathes and vertical machining centres, including a Colchester-Harrison Alpha 1550XS, extensive tooling, fixturing and pallets for an existing Flexible Manufacturing System (FMS). The investment also extended to the redesign of the factory workflow, to ensure maximum efficiency, done through employing the very latest ideas in lean manufacturing. Investment made in new equipment will allow 600 Group to manufacture, in-house, around £5 million of spares, accessories and components, including chucks, which were previously subcontracted overseas. Pratt Burnerd has been a long-term supplier of original equipment to machine tool manufacturers and replacement parts to end-users around the world, via its large sales and distribution network in Europe, Asia and the USA. Pratt Burnerd products were integrated into 600 UK's Heckmondwike facility in line with 600 Group's restructuring of its manufacturing base last year. Mike Berry, managing director [previously general manager] of 600 UK, said: "These changes will give us greater control over the quality of the products which is essential to our brands. It also gives us greater manufacturing flexibility, which in turn gives us a competitive advantage in the market." The new 600 UK manufacturing facilities at Heckmondwike allow the company to fully implement and utilise its automated flexible manufacturing system (FMS) and this includes 'lights out' production. In addition, Pratt Burnerd forms a crucial part of 600 UK's supply chain for its Colchester-Harrison machine tools brand, also located at the Heckmondwike site.