Subcontractor Roscomac subcontracts fluid management

"In the past few months we have invested over £3 million in new machine tools, including six horizontal machining centres, four with 630 mm³ pallets and two with 500 mm³ pallets," explains Joe Martello, Roscomac's managing director. "I would much rather my people are focussed on ensuring these machines are making components rather than worrying about whether the coolant is at the correct concentration." To address this Roscomac has signed a fluid management agreement with Jemtech (UK) to provide a supplier-driven fluid monitoring service for all of the company's machine tools. As part of that service Jemtech is on site three mornings per week to monitor fluid use, pH values, coolant concentrations and general checks to ascertain whether tramp oil and odours are an issue. If any issues are identified, Jemtech has the autonomy to carry out a root and branch investigation to resolve them. Mr Martello continued: "We have direct contact with the senior people at Jemtech and if we raise any issues they are dealt with immediately. As a result of the support they are providing and since they have replaced our cutting fluids with Blaser products we have had no health and safety issues, or skin related problems, and tool life has increased dramatically, ten-fold in some applications. "In Jemtech we have a supplier that has a highly proactive, can do attitude and one of the reassuring things about working with Jemtech is that we can give them our instructions and be confident that they will be carried out completely, if not improved on. This means that we are able to totally rely on them to maintain our cutting fluids and by default the performance of our machines. Having taken this decision to outsource fluid management we do not want to be spoon feeding our supplier. With Jemtech, they turn up, do what needs to be done and leave, we hardly notice them, which is a sign that the process is working extremely well."