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Every business, like every household in the UK, is facing unprecedented price increases on so many fronts.

At Broxton we have seen our energy costs, amongst other items, literally go through the roof. But rather than fully absorb or just pass these rises on we have reviewed every aspect of our operation to make savings wherever possible.

For instance, introducing LED lighting throughout all our buildings, fitting sensors that automatically turn off lighting when a room is empty, investing in energy efficient machinery and consolidating our painting process to 4 days a week, without loss of production, has all combined enabled us to reduce our energy usage by a massive 15%.

This proactive approach isn’t just limited to the Broxton Management either as we are involving and responding to our employees’ suggestions to reduce waste and mitigate costs at every level.

Collectively, and in conjunction with expert materials purchasing, the introduction of these innovative measures has ensured we can offer better price stability and continue to make sure our prices are competitive.

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This year, 2023, is an important year for Broxton as it marks the momentous milestone of 50 years in business.

We’d like to say a big heart-felt thank you to everyone who has helped us reach this important landmark in our history, from our committed team to our valued customers.

From very humble beginnings in 1972, with a lathe, 2 mills and an off-hand grinder from auction, we’ve become a modern, thriving manufacturing business with world-class machine tools and software boasting a 65 strong and capable workforce, pushing towards £6M annual turnover.

Our founder Brian Ellams started Precision Mechanical Services(PMS), a machining subcontractor, in 1972. Broxton was set up a year later in 1973 as a sheet metal subcontractor. Both companies operated independently until 2012 when the two then merged to become a company renowned today for delivering first-class products. But that’s only half the story, as we eagerly look forward to the next 50 years. A future that looks equally exciting. Achieving more success with our ethos of continual investment and improvement throughout all levels of operations to advance the business and always be customers first choice for precision products and an unrivalled service.

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Arriving on 28th February, our second Mazak Quick Turn 200MSY. This turning center with Multi-Tasking capability will double our capacity for turn/mill parts. Coupled with automatic bar feed and part removal system from Hydrafeed, this ‘lights out’ cell will further enhance our 24 hour unmanned production and reduce lead times.

Reducing the number of operations it takes to complete a part is key to reducing cost and lead times, and Done In One is the goal.

This machine with its productivity pack is designed to achieve this, and combines up to 24 live tools and a sub-spindle for Done In One success.

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On 23rd February, we take delivery of a new Trumpf TruBend 3100 press brake. This new machine will increase capacity and efficiency, helping us to maintain competitive pricing and reduced lead times. It also comes with many technical features to improve bend accuracy and productivity:

Crowning ensures equal pressure is applied along the entire bend, which is critical on long parts.

Extended open height allows deeper box sections to be formed without collision. A useful feature when forming enclosures.

5-axis backgauge guarantees fast and correct positioning for each bend.

At the same time, we are remodeling our forming shop to improve access and workflow, and new LED task lighting will brighten conditions for our engineers and reduce energy consumption.

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In August 2022 when natural gas supply was at risk and energy prices were rising to unprecedented levels, we saw the potential for our natural gas supply to become a very major issue in 2023. A particular concern for powder coating which uses a significant amount of energy.

Following a comprehensive review we looked to switch our operations from natural gas to LPG. This would allow us to control costs more effectively without increase to our business or extra costs to our clients.

We took the steps to have concrete bases laid to accommodate 5 x 1 ton tanks to store liquid gas. Whilst this was happening, in January 2023, we secured a last minute viable natural gas 12 month contract.

This will be reviewed in a years time, but with the LPG infrastructure in place, should it be an issue we will make the switch and make sure we’re operating, as best we can, at the best commercial price for our clients.

Contact us today to see how we can help you >>>

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Our new twin pallet high performance Brother R650X2 is more than a match for the needs of our growing customers by increasing productivity on many product lines, significantly boosting output and impressively reducing lead times.

Three main factors attracted us to the Brother R650X2:

• Proven technology from renowned Japanese manufacturer
• Dynamic machine tool technology for high-speed aluminium machining
• Twin pallet configuration uniquely allows part loading during machining cycle to increase OEE (Overall Equipment Effectiveness)

Having completed a smooth installation and first week in production, we are already seeing the benefits of higher productivity on daily output and improved part quality.

Contact us today to see how we can help you >>>

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We are delighted to announce greater investment with the newest member to the Broxton operation – World-Class punch cell production technology. The newly released TruPunch 3000 delivers:

• Brush bed and descending die system for low-scratch punching.
• Automated sheet loading, part picking, and small part sorting enable ‘lights out’ production for greater capacity and short lead times.
• Fully electric operation reduces running and maintenance costs for improved efficiency.
• Wide variety of tools, including MultiBend, extrusion, tapping, cup and bridge tools, enable complex designs to be made accurately and efficiently.

Contact us today to see how we can help you >>>

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To ensure we meet the demands of our long standing customers growth Broxton have invested in a Trumpf Trulaser 1030 4KW fiber laser with LiftMaster Compact sheet load and unload automation.

This significant investment comes delivers fiber laser with LiftMaster Compact sheet load and unload automation. There has been a step change in laser cutting technology when traditional mirrors were replaced with fibre optics, and direct drive motors vastly improved the travel time of the cutting head. The biggest increases in productivity are found in cutting thinner sheet with an average thickness of 1.5mm resulting in significantly increased capacity.

We have invested in full automation to support our strategy of a single shift with lights out production; with our Laser automation is all the more important as it significantly reduces the risk of introducing handling marks on the sheet and the laser cut parts.

• Without tooling and using the latest nesting software, we can more economically cut different parts on the same sheet.
• Using improved fiber technology which is not susceptible to beam reflection, a much wider variety of material types, including copper and higher purity aluminium can be cut.
• Integrated camera technology also enables us to manufacture combination punch/laser parts for the first time, which on certain parts can be advantageous.
• Combining speed and automation, this investment will provide a step change in capacity which assists us to drive service levels up.

Contact us today to see how we can help you >>>

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Screen printing and screen generation in-house is a vital service for us and for our customers. This final process requires a high level of skill and accuracy to achieve consistent results in line with our ‘Make it Perfect’ mantra. In 2019, when we built a dedicated powder coating building as Site 2, the screen-printing room remained at Site 1 which was not ideal logistics. We have now built a new clean room that is twice the size and has a dedicated dark room for screen production. This is a much better working environment with better environmental controls and now our surface finishing team are back together.

• 100% larger to accommodate WIP in a clean room environment
• Clean room for improved screen-printing quality
• Dedicated dark room for fast screen production

Contact us today to see how we can help you >>>

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