Adrian Haller, managing director, believes a majority government has helped to remove some of the uncertainty shrouding industry, and his firm is looking to take advantage of new opportunities, creating up to five jobs across its engineering and administrative departments in the process. The company will also invest in developing a number of apprentices, ensuring the young employees absorb the company’s culture and soak up the experience and knowledge of experienced engineers who collectively have hundreds of years’ experience in presses, servicing and maintenance.
“We move into 2020 with a very healthy order book, which reflects the positive attitude of our customers following the election results in December,” explains Haller. “The high-speed stamping technology we have provided in the UK for over 50 years is perfectly suited to where many growth sectors are moving, meeting client demand for greater production control, more versatility, repeatable quality and, importantly, speed and precision.”
He adds: “Electrification is a market that is due to take off after a number of stalled starts, and we are currently in the process of tooling up suites of tools for major automotive suppliers in preparation for EV product launches. This year could well prove the breakthrough.”
Bruderer UK, which employs 14 people at its headquarters in Luton and a satellite facility in the Black Country, enjoyed a robust 2019, shaking off economic volatility thanks to a surge in major rebuilds on existing presses.
“Due to the durability of the firm’s machines, a lot of customers took softening in some markets as an opportunity to bring reliable presses back to ‘as new’ in the form of in-depth refurbishments, so they could optimise performance in time for the upturn.
“I think 2020 will be very different, with a lot of investments coming to fruition after being stalled for months,” says Haller. “There will be significant interest in the latest updates in technology, including single-minute exchange of dies (SMED) and state-of-the-art controls that mean up to 1,000 tool store operations can be accessed and applied via a single touch.
“Industry 4.0, which has been integrated into our machines for over a decade, will also be in big demand as the clamour for real-time information and customer transparency across the entire production process grows.”
He continues: “Finally, we are investing in die laser welding, vision system technology and, along with our portfolio partners, enhancements to servo roll feeders, decoiling systems and tool components for plastic and metal tools.”
Bruderer UK, which enjoyed an extremely successful Autosport International 2020 exhibition, is setting its sights on its biggest MACH show yet (20-24 April), where it will be showcasing its full portfolio, together with a precision high-speed stamping line.
