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MANUFACTURING TECHNOLOGY
tolerances required, means that customers are constantly asking us to provide more products, which is why we see the aerospace market as a potential growth market in the future.” CTR’s capabilities in the aerospace market are underlined by
the company's participation in several organisations. CTR is a member of the Advancing UK Aerospace, Defence and Security Industries (ADS) trade organisation and proactively involved in its SC21 Supplier Chain Programme. Additionally it is a member of the Midlands Aerospace Alliance. In support of its manufacturing expertise and commitment to quality, CTR also holds registration to ISO 9001:2008 and the aerospace standard AS 9100 Rev C. The company can also offer full material and lot traceability, through its latest Materials Requirements Planning (MRP) software – enabling immediate feedback of customer order traceability. Being able to supply the aerospace industry – where high specification and zero tolerance are commonplace – has also helped CTR expand into other industries. “We can supply proven tooling and die solutions to manufacturers in a variety of specialist areas, such as spring manufacturing, plastic injection, press tools, tube swaged end forming, wind energy and the rubber moulding industry. If the process requires an extrusion form tool or progressive die set, we have the skill, experience and knowledge to provide a total engineered and tooled up solution.” In 2013 CTR experienced significant growth, bringing the
business back to the strong position it found itself in prior to the recession. Due to this the company decided to invest in machinery to replace existing equipment and also expand the business’ capabilities. “The investment in new machinery has seen us receive a
“ We can supply proven tooling and die solutions to manufacturers in a variety of specialist areas…”
lot of interest from customers for more diverse items that we previously hadn’t been able to offer,” says James Blanchfield. “As our customers have started to grow again and diversify into new areas, we have been able to meet their needs and therefore pick up extra work.” New machinery purchased includes two new CNC 5 Axis Milling Machine Centres, one with fully simultaneous capability, that offer CNC multi axis soft/hard machining and CNC internal and external grinding, as well as the latest Electrical Discharge Machining (EDM) technology. “As a result of the new CNC 5 Axis Milling Machine Centres our
LOP (light off production) capacity has been increased – leading to improved delivery and lead times,” states James Blanchfield. “The new centres also enable us to continue producing the highest quality products to the specifications required.” To add to the new machinery, CTR has also invested in
its employees. The company has recently taken on three apprentices and is currently looking at additional skilled engineers. “At CTR we are able to offer the best of both worlds via the new computerised machinery – involving programming, drawings and design aspects – plus the experience of working hands on designing products,” says James Blanchfield. From visiting CTR it is clear that the company has managed to
blend a mixture of experience, quality and service into producing tooling with unique capabilities – for almost any market. With the addition of new machinery and further growth opportunities, the future is definitely looking positive. “For this year we are going to continue integrating the
new machinery and employees into the business, as well as maintaining and satisfying our current order levels,” explains James. “In the future we will look to continue to invest and grow the business in new markets. We currently supply into China, India and Taiwan showing that we are competitive in the market place and our quality is very high. We are constantly being offered more work, but it is important that we control the level of business we accept and grow at a steady level. We are defined by our quality and therefore need to make sure that our customers are completely satisfied with the products and our service. Our first priority will always be our customers.”
78 Fastener + Fixing Magazine • Issue 88 July 2014