Not that long ago, as a consequence of the economic slowdown, many precision subcontractors found that their businesses were in the doldrums.

But now, some 12 months or so down the line – business is booming and, for many of these companies, who in 2009/10 found themselves in the position of having ‘too much capacity’ - the situation has changed to ‘not having enough’.

This feast or famine scenario is not unique for UK precision subcontractors. However, what is different is the way that leading precision subcontractor - AK Precision Ltd - has addressed and managed these shifting sands.

By investing in the latest Doosan machine tools from Mills CNC, and by training its staff using the CNC Training Academy (the training arm of Mills), the company is ready to face the future and has the skilled people and the technology in place to grow and succeed whatever economic conditions prevail.

AK Precision Ltd is experiencing its best year ever.

Demand for its high-quality, competitively-priced subcontract machining services has never been higher, and orders from existing, and a growing number of new, customers are at record levels.

But such increases in demand have presented companies like AK Precision with a whole new set of issues that have had to be addressed (strategically) in order to capitalise on the economic upsurge currently being experienced in and across many UK manufacturing sectors and their supply chains.

Says Tracy Read, director at AK Precision:

'Like most manufacturers we were not immune from the recent economic downturn. But, we were determined not to reduce our headcount or compromise the core business principles and values of value, quality, reliability and service that help differentiate us from the competition.’

AK Precision’s commitment to manufacturing high-quality machined parts that are delivered on time and in budget, has seen the company adopt an integrated strategy of investing in:

a) The latest (and most advanced) machine tool technologies,

b) High-quality CNC operator and programmer training.

c) An ongoing apprentice programme.

Machine tool investment

First established in 2002, Great Yarmouth-based AK Precision Ltd has experienced significant growth in its nine year history. (Its current headcount stands at 21 as opposed to 3 when the company first started trading).

The company occupies an enviable position within a number of high-precision and technically-challenging manufacturing sectors (e.g. Oil/Gas, Subsea, Power Generation and Motorsport to name but a few), and, at the heart of its success, is strategic and prudent investment in the latest machine tools.

AK Precision has invested in a number of Doosan machine tools (supplied by Mills CNC).

Since 2006 the company has purchased 6 new Doosan machines from Mills, the latest being a TT 1800SY (Twin-Turret/Twin-Spindle) multi-axis turning centre which was installed at the company’s 10,000 sq ft facility in April 2011.

This machine, along with the other 5 x Doosan lathes, is being used to manufacture high-precision complex parts made from a diverse range of materials that include -: Stainless Steels, Titanium, and Bronze etc.).

The parts that AK Precision manufactures on its Doosan machines are machined in small-to-medium batches. Part tolerances are tight and surface finishes are equally demanding.

The decision to invest in the high-performance TT 1800SY was made for a number of reasons:

Explains Tracy Read:

'The TT 1800SY gives us extra capacity and increased manufacturing flexibility and productivity.

'The machine, with its twin-turret and twin-spindle technology, its (+/-50-mm) Y-axis and driven tooling, allows us to manufacture complex parts quicker (often in one set-up) – and this helps us maintain part accuracies (due to less work-handling) and meet the tight customer deadlines we work to.

Also important in the decision-making process was the relationship that exists between both companies (AK Precision and Mills CNC), that Tracy Read describes as being ‘excellent’.

Investing in Training

Running concurrently with AK Precision’s machine tool investment strategies is the company’s commitment to investing in its people.

Continues Tracy Read:

'Training our people is vital. We know how difficult it is to get the skilled staff we require, and as such have embarked on an ambitious training programme for our staff.’

As well as training its machine operators to become skilled and adept at running its machines, AK Precision takes a more long-term and strategic view to training.

This has seen the company develop its own in-house apprentice programme aimed at school leavers, and encourage its machine operators to take that extra step forward into CNC Programming. Over the last 4 months AK Precision has enrolled 7 of its staff on 2 or 3 day Fanuc Turning courses at the CNC Training Academy.

Concludes Tracy Read:

'We use the CNC Training Academy for our Operator and Programmer Training. The Fanuc courses provided by the Academy are comprehensive, professionally-delivered and represent good value.

'We are up-skilling our workforce to make us more competitive and to demonstrate to our people that AK Precision, with their help, has the drive and potential to become even more successful.’