Investment drives Innovation at Thwaites.

Thwaites have announced a £1 million investment in new tooling and machinery to drive innovation, efficiency and safety at their Leamington Spa plant.

A TrumpfFibre Laser, TruLaser 3030 has now been commissioned, installedand programmed becoming fully operational during September 2017.

The new machine will increase laser cutting output by 25% whilst reducing power consumption by 50%. Fibre Optic technology with C02 developing into Nitrogen cutting,enablesthe same head to make incisionsfrom 1mm to 20mm without the need to change,furtherincreasing productivity and safety.

Trained Thwaites operator Karl Goff commented, “I began working on Plasma machines some 25 years ago, we were guillotine cutting and punch holing back then. This newmachine replaces our previous laser welder and is so much faster,after my training it’salso straightforwardto operate. The finished parts are great,as the components have smooth cutting edges with no need for any post processing, in addition we have all noticed that we now get more components per sheet,reducing our waste”.

Commissionedin August,Thwaites are pleased to have installed an IGM P2W-20 automated welding machine, with the new and innovative K6 controller,giving the operatorthe ability to manage a fully integrated unitthat can automatically weld over 100 separate components using a 6 axis robot arm.

Operator Rob Williams said, “This machine replaces the unit I had previously worked with, it’s so much faster at what it does, with amazing response times. The new K6 controller gives me one panel to control the whole operation from, ensuring we weld the components requiredand on schedule with the production plan”.

Thwaites Managing Director Ian Brown commented, “Investment and Innovation are critical success factors for the business. This £1 million-poundinvestment, will improve productivity, reduce wastewhilst makingthe business even safer and more efficient. Perhaps as important is the growing effect continued investment has onourteam. 2017 has seen a strong order book, I am proud to say the Thwaites team has matched this demand with machine production and delivery to our customers”.

Thwaites Limited 2017
The Thwaites name is synonymous with the best-quality dumpers on the market. Advanced design and investment in tooling provide today’s customers with the very best products at the cutting edge of technology. This means more than just the strength and reliability you know you can expect from Thwaites; it means an increased focus on customer satisfaction, safety and ergonomics across the range.