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FEATURE


SPRING, SHOCK ABSORBERS & WIRE FORMS clOse tO tHe wire


If you need custom-design springs or wire assemblies, Dorset-based William Hughes is here to help…


F


rom its factory in Dorset, William Hughes has many years of experience (in fact, according to the company, its heritage


stretches back to before the Industrial Revolution) in springs and wire forms. When it comes to springs, the company has


the knowledge and ability to custom-design and manufacture springs to match exact requirements for all types of applications – whether for industrial equipment or for automotive designs, submarines or even toys. Another major part of its business, however, is wire forming, bending and assembly.


welded wire asseMblies


William Hughes has become an authority in the supply of welded wire assemblies, primarily for the automotive industry. The Company’s expertise in MIG, MAG, TIG, spot/resistance and Butt welding processes has led to it establishing a total of 33 welding cells across its three factories in the UK, Poland and Bulgaria. In the UK, the company is the only supplier of


large volume automotive welded assemblies, a skill it has spent the last twenty years perfecting. In fact according to William Hughes, it has


always been a large volume producer of wires, springs and small welded assemblies for the automotive industry. While, twenty years ago, welding was carried out manually or by simple semi-automated machines, engineering director Emma Burgon had the foresight to focus on acquiring a contract for 100% rear seat welded assemblies, having correctly recognised a potential gap in the market at the company’s low cost facility in Bulgaria. The William Hughes engineering department was tasked with understanding the specific tooling required to manufacture this type of product and the investment necessary to bring such tooling manufacture in-house. After several years of


honing their knowledge and developing their expertise, the team in Bulgaria was successful in securing two major contracts. Typically these rear seat welded assemblies have approximately 50-60 welds. However, for one of the newly secured projects, each frame had a total of 120 welds. Using a mixture of in-house design with support from


4 DESIGN SOLUTIONS JULY/AUGUST 2022 8


sub-contract tool makers, the first William Hughes welding tools were soon being produced. Shortly afterwards, the first-off tool


components appeared and were ready to be measured in William Hughes’s high-tech quality department. After two years of


manufacture in Bulgaria, word of the company’s


capability reached the customer base in the UK and it secured its first welded assembly for the home market. By this time, some serious investment in machinery and personnel had led to William Hughes producing its own tooling, allowing more control over design philosophy and greater cost effectiveness. These early projects have now all gone to


end of production, but William Hughes’ growth in this area has meant that the company now has a total of 23 MAG robot welding cells and ten spot robot welding cells over its three manufacturing locations.


Future engineers plus tHe enVirOnMent


Focusing on the next generation of engineers, and William Hughes has a comprehensive and successful engineering apprenticeship scheme. Added to that, the company is continuing to help reduce Dorset’s carbon footprint by adding a further rooftop array of 391 solar panels to its original 1300 panels. This will generate an additional 136.85kWp to produce an annual yield of 113,586kWh, allowing it generate more than enough electricity to power its entire factory.


William Hughes T: 01963 363377 www.wmhughes.co.uk


William Hughes has established a total of 33 welding cells across its three factories in the UK, Poland and Bulgaria


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