Tees Components maintains investment commitment with installation of £500,000 precision boring technology

Tees Components is forging ahead with its planned £500,000 investment in a new horizontal boring mill.

Foundation work had just begun prior to government lockdown and had to be put on hold whilst the North Skelton site paused production for three weeks.

Now, with revised risk assessments in place, and various additional measures to reduce the risk of virus transmission, civil engineering works have re-started.  Installation of the machine itself is planned for mid-May, with operations commencing at the end of the month.

The family-run heavy engineering firm, based in Skelton, near Saltburn, has doubled its boring capacity of this type with this additional machine, which will work alongside its existing horizontal borer that has been operational since 2016.

Used for CNC boring and milling, the machine is capable of machining extremely large parts to very small tolerances, due to the extent of its axes (4m x 2m x 2m) and rotary table loading capability. Its table load accommodates 20 tonnes while the X-Axis is 4000mm and the W-Axis is 700mm.

The second heavy-duty Hyundai Wia KBN135CL in its CNC machining facility means Tees Components can offer improved delivery on its strong order book of projects for a range of OEM clients in defence and power generation sectors.

Tees Components has worked closely with mill supplier, Sheffield-based TW Ward CNC Machinery Ltd, to develop a bespoke and adapted installation programme to incorporate the company’s stringent coronavirus protection protocols.

After using the three-week shutdown to review all risk assessments, prepare training, and implement new control measures, Tees Components resumed machining and refurbishment operations at the end of April.

With the safety of its workforce its priority, the company has developed a programme of additional hygiene and safety measures alongside those put in place prior to the lockdown.

Sharon Lane, managing director of Tees Components, said: “The additional capacity created by the installation of the new horizontal borer will support the delivery of our pipeline of projects.

“We are confident in our business and committed to continue with this investment despite the challenges of the coronavirus pandemic.  We are demonstrating to our customers that we have the capabilities and can be highly adaptable to meet their needs.”

She added: “We are really grateful for the cooperation of the team at TW Ward who were very flexible and attentive to our updated health and safety working practices to ensure that the installation could be completed efficiently.”

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