Laser Process

Quality and Environmental Standards

Following on from our second 'Made in the Midlands' Award, some more good news. We have just had our annual assessment for Iso9001 and Iso14001 and flew through them. No non-conformances, just one observation. A brilliant result and a credit to all of our employees.

Second Manufacturing Achievement Award for Laser Process

At a ceremony in Walsall last Friday Laser Process was presented with a Manufacturing Achievement Award by the Made in the Midlands organisation.
This is the second consecutive year the company has won the award and recognises the investment in equipment and technology over the last year.

The company has invested around one million pounds in two Trumpf laser cutting systems. Trumpf are widely regarded as as manufacturers of the worlds best laser cutting equipment and the two new systems are state of the art.

Laser Process has also introduced LaserQuote24/7. This is an online quoting system which enables registered companies to obtain laser cutting quotations, instantly, at any time of the day or night.
The picture shows Joey Moore of Laser Process with the award.

Ledley King

Ledley King pictured yesterday at the unveiling of the Portrait Bench in Tower Hamlets.(Photo courtesy of Sustrans - the sustainable transport charity)

Artwork in Tower Hamlets unveiled

Press release by Sustrans - the sustainable transport charity.

A new piece of public artwork will be unveiled in Mile End Park, Bethnal Green on Monday 15 August, with three local icons Ledley King, Sylvia Pankhurst and a canal towpath horse are immortalised in steel as part of charity Sustrans' portrait bench initiative.

The characters were all chosen by the local community, and are part of a national project which is adorning new sections of Sustrans' National Cycle Network in communities across the UK. Over 240 characters will be immortalised in steel when the project is completed.

The bench will sit in Mile End Park alongside the new Meath Bridge, which having been installed in 2010 is already making a major difference to how people make their everyday journeys in the Borough. Commuter journeys on foot and by bike have increased fivefold in Meath Gardens since the bridge was lifted into place.

Tim Temple from Sustrans said, "The characters chosen for the portrait bench here in Tower Hamlets are a real mix that showcase different aspects of the community, from industrial heritage to a present day sports star from the heart of East London. The bench will act as a permanent reminder to future generations of the history and diversity of this part of the capital."

Ledley King, Tottenham Hotspur and England international defender, said, "To be recognised for any achievement is always a privilege and is especially welcome when it is something determined by the people of the area from which you were born. I'm proud of my roots in East London and I have fond memories of playing football there as a youngster. I have now seen the portrait bench and hope it will contribute to the overall improvement of the area in which it is situated."

Susan Homewood, of the Sylvia Pankhurst Trust, said, "Sylvia Pankhurst was a selfless and inspiring figure whose fascinating real-life story, set here in Bow during World War I, continues to give young people the confidence to do great things for others. We're sure portrait bench will encourage further generations to learn more about her."

Mark Blackwell, from British Waterways, added, "The canals have played an important part in the history of East London, and we're delighted that local people have chosen to honour the working horse through Sustrans' portrait bench initiative.

"The capital's canals and towpaths are a green route through the city for walkers and cyclists; they are a haven for nature, a place to relax and a link to the past."

Mayor Lutfur Rahman, Tower Hamlets Council, said, "Tower Hamlets boasts a rich and varied history, and it is fantastic that this heritage is represented in the characters selected for the borough's portrait bench."

Lowest Price or Best Value

Lowest Price or Best Value

(Article first published in 2004 and still valid today)


There is a lot of talk these days of ‘Best Practise and Benchmarking’ and no one is going to argue about continual improvement in manufacturing processes and quality systems, but what about purchase management? Where is it written that the best purchase is the cheapest purchase? Who says that lowest price is best value?

Unfortunately this philosophy seems to be endemic these days particularly amongst some of the larger organisations and certainly amongst public bodies. Nothing could be further from the truth however – lowest price does not represent best value. What value do you place on quality, service, trust and the confidence these attributes engender?

Laser cutting is a business like many others. It is competitive and subject to the same rules of engagement as any other business you care to mention. Hey, but let’s think about this, how many businesses can you name where annual investment can be as much as twenty per cent of turnover. That is a staggering figure and one that has to be considered very carefully when calculating working rates.

There is a danger that, in attempting to fill order books during spells of low market activity machine time is sold at rates that customers can ill afford to pass up, but who is gaining from such folly? The customer will gain in the short term, he may make a little extra on the job in hand, or it may be that the job he under quoted suddenly becomes profitable. In the long term, however, he will probably be let down on service, because the supplier will always put more profitable work first or he will be let down on quality because the job is rushed in an attempt to minimise losses. He will probably also have ruined a very good and often long established trading relationship. How likely is the supplier to put himself out to help a customer who is continually putting him under pressure to reduce prices?

The subcontractor will gain work which will fill his machines and may, if he is lucky, cover his overheads, but how is he going to fund a replacement machine when his becomes outdated and uneconomic.

No one is against competition, business thrives on it but crazy sales tactics by some companies are going to kill the industry if they don’t, quickly, come to their senses. We can all accept that we are not going to win every contract and that we may lose out by 1,2,3,5 or maybe 10 percent. That’s alright – we’ll just try harder next time, look at the job more closely and sharpen our pencils. But it is becoming increasingly common to lose jobs by much bigger margins than that. We have encountered situations recently where we have lost long established contracts to competitors offering rates 25-40 per cent below our (already discounted) rates. Why can’t these people see that by quoting realistic rates they can either make more profit in the hours they are working or make the same profit and take a couple of days extra off each week.

In the short term these tactics are likely to keep some companies busy on unprofitable work leaving the better work for those who are serious about promoting the industry. However, in the long term they are likely to lead to expectations of vastly reduced rates across the market place causing a lack of investment funds to carry us forward. If this is allowed to happen it will lead to a downward spiral where it will be impossible to get prices back to a realistic level until many companies have gone out of business. No one wants that, there are no benefits for anyone there but there are plenty of benefits to be had by being realistic now.

Laser cutting is getting cheaper, technology is seeing to that but we have to maintain levels to a degree where the industry can go forward to take advantage of the technology being presented to us. Technology doesn’t come cheap –but neither does redundancy!

The culture of lowest cost wins is one that is going to be difficult to change, although there are some oases of reality, but we really do have to make a stand to ensure that we do not sell ourselves out.

We have a duty to provide the best possible service and quality, to create trust and to build relationships with our customers. All of this contributes towards best value, but comes at a cost. A realistic cost but not, necessarily, the lowest cost.

David Lindsey

Operators trained on new systems

Following on from the installation of our two new machines from Trumpf the first of our operators have completes their upgrade training. Whilst all three operators are very experienced in laser system operation, the new systems incorporate a new control and it is important that our operators are trained adequately. the training was provided by the system manufacturers, Trumpf.
The operators are shown here, with their certificates. L-R John Kinsella, Ian Murphy and Paul Shaughnessy.

Bombardier. Email sent to local MPs today

Email sent to local MPs today.

Dear Sir,

I am managing director of this company, based in Cannock, and I live in Lichfield. Both of these areas together with a lot of the wider Midlands area are going to be affected by the loss of Bombardier in Derby.
I would urge the government to look again at the decision that has been made so that the REAL cost of the purchase can be established.
No government, whatever it’s colour is going to be able to maintain credibility whilst it is putting British workers out of a job at the expense of providing employment for foreigners (albeit EU members).
None of our major competitors in Europe would have made this decision.
Recent signs have pointed to a resurgence in manufacturing, and Britain needs this to continue, but the decision that has been taken is a kick in the teeth of those trying to take manufacturing forward and at a time when we are all being asked to make sacrifices and savings I would have thought that a little help for the British people from the British government is no too much to ask.
We are a company of 40 employees with a turnover of nearly £5m, we are currently installing £1m worth of new equipment, I hope our government doesn’t keep doing its best to prove to me that it is a waste of time and money.

David Lindsey

Workplace car parking levy

It has been announced today that Nottingham has begun the process of registering companies for the worlpace car parking levy. Basically, every company having car park places is required to register with the local authority and those with 11 or more are required to pay (currently) £279 per year per place.

The levy is on the employer who has the choice as to whether or not they pass on the charge to their employees. The levy will be vatable and if passed on to employees, they must pay it (total £334.80).

When workplace car parking levies were first talked about, a few years ago, it was stated that all proceeds would be ring fenced for transport/environmental projects for a period of ten years. Nottingham now simply state that 'some' of the money will be used for their tram system. This will come as a surprise to no one. 

Employers who have been struggling for the past three years just to stay in existence now have to find more money and if they choose to pass it on, their employees will be required to cough up an amount probably greater than they have recieved in pay increases over those last three years.

it seems to be too late for Nottingham but maybe we should be doing all we can to stop the spread of this tax.

New machinery installation - update

 
New machinery installation - update

Friday 15th July

All five machines now fully operational. We now have more capacity than we have ever had and it gives us the opportunity to catch up and then push forward with our sales guys chomping at the bit!

Thursday 14th July

Both new machines now up and running, problem is one of our older machines has been down for three days with an unknown problem. Engineers are trying to establish fault.

Monday 11th July

The 3040 is now up and running and it, hopefully, will not be long now until the 3030 is running too. By that time we will have more capacity than we have ever had, that should keep the sales guys quiet for a while. David Cave (photography) has been in to take some photos before the machines start to show signs of use.

Friday 1st July

All pieces of equipment have now been placed in their final positions, levelled and bolted down. Visually everything is now as it will be on completion. All that is required now is to complete the myriad of connections for power, water, gases and controls. we are hoping to have both machines up and running by next Friday.

Thursday 30th June

14.00hrs

All equipment in place and ready for connections. Trumpf personnel and electricians in attendance. the whole installation is starting to look something special. It is amazing how much space the mezzanine floor is going to save. it looks as though, ultimately, we will be able to get six machines where we presently have five, and still have more free floor space.

Wednesday 29th June

10.30hrs

10.00hrs    The two new machines have arrived and are being unwrapped on the lorries. Engineers are in attendance to begin installation. The worst part of the whole process, for me, is about to happen - seeing half a million pounds worth of equipment swinging about on the end of a crane is not nice!

Monday 27th June.

Transport on site to remove older 3050. Everything back on schedule now and we have the rest of the day and all day Tuesday to have a clean up before the new machinery arrives on Wednesday.

Saturday 25th June.

Traditional Structures Ltd on site to install mezzanine floor. Slight issue concerning position of ladder but other than that all went well - a great job.

Friday 24th June.

Still encountering delays with moving middle 3050 but, by lunchtime, couldn't wait any longer to begin decommissioning of older one. by evening machine is decommissioned and moved far enough to enable installation of mezzanine floor.

Thursday 23rd June

Should be decommissioning old L3050 but delays in moving second L3050 mean we cannot lose another machine just yet. A lot of rescheduling going on and we should be back on target by Friday night. One bonus with not completing move of 2nd 3050 until tonight is that we have the other available overnight. That means Simon can sleep a little easier and Marcus, after the day he has had, will probably get drunk!

Wednesday 22nd June

Engineers in to move L3050 cabinets, a day later than expected. Fortunately we have left a buffer between the time allowed to remove old equipment and the delivery of the new. It looks as though we may need it! We are desperately trying to hold on to schedule but not helped by unexpected outside influences.

Monday 20th June
Engineers in attendance to sort out ventilation issues on L3050 prior to moving its ancillary equipment to a new configuration. This is to create sufficient space for new L3030. 

 

Subcon 2011, NEC Birmingham

Subcon over for another year. it was a difficult show to judge as it was very busy in patches and quiet in others but the level of enquiries overall was pretty good. We have received orders already, so that can't be bad.
The new online quoting system was very well received, by buyers and the trade press. Give it a go on the Laser Process website