Among reasons cited for an order for a TC5000 cell were productivity improvements of 30-40% over an earlier TC500 and 3-4 times as much work out of the floorspace vacated by an exisiting TC240.

Among reasons cited for an order for a TC5000 cell were productivity improvements of 30-40% over an earlier TC500 and therefore an ability to get 3-4 times as much work out of the floorspace vacated by an exisiting TC240. For some years now the name Broxton has been synonymous with quality sheet metal sub-contract. However, this alone is no longer fully descriptive of Broxton's comprehensive design and manufacturing service.

From being a typically reactive sheetmetal sub-contractor, they have, progressively, over the last three years and under the guidance of MD Marcus Ellams, become a highly pro-active and innovative provider of sheetmetal design and manufacturing solutions to an ever-widening range of clients.

A visit to their Cirencester facility shows how they have done this and achieved a 50% growth in the last 12 months alone - quality and professionalism exude from everything that they do.

The arrival of Marcus Ellams at the company led to the introduction of new customer services, new management ideas, and investment in new technology.

They have become a market leader in the design and manufacture of electronic enclosures - creating a 'one-stop shop' by adding finishing and assembly operations to their 'best in class' sheetmetal facility.

They have evolved an innovative employee empowerment structure, that has led to production personnel taking full responsibility for direct customer contact in the making and maintaining of order promises.

Nearly 21/2 years ago they invested in a flexible sheetmetal cell - comprising a Trumatic 500 with SheetMaster.

Their investment in the TC500 cell was, in its way, as significant a step forward as their very first venture into CNC had been with a TC240 in the mid 1980's.

It was the first time that an English sub-contractor had made such an investment, and in Marcus Ellams' own words - it enabled them to enter the 'Premier League'.

From the very first day after commissioning, the facility has run 'lights-out' at night and in every week since installation they have averaged more than 100 hours of production.

On weekdays the facility is minimally manned, an operator being present to prepare and pre-set jobs to provide material and remove batches of finished parts.

On weekday nights the cell runs unmanned until its load is complete, which is usually between 4 and 12 hours.

At weekends a duty operator makes periodic visits to site to remove and replenish material, but on a Monday morning the machines run-time clock invariably shows that they have achieved at least 45 hours of production since Friday afternoon.

The output of this cell has been the major factor in enabling Broxton to meet a significant increase in demand for services.

When a company achieves the growth rates that Broxton are experiencing, a policy of continuous investment becomes a necessity.

They had, by now, experienced the real productivity benefits of working larger standard sheets on full head-rotation machines.

Replacing an older TC240 machine with a TC500 would have significantly increased punching capacity - without an increase in the floor space required.

However, their need for a new machine coincided with the launch of Trumpf's new TC5000 - which offered even greater benefits.

Therefore, for the third time in 15 years, Broxton have shown their conviction in new technology and Trumpf's ability to provide it, by ordering one of the first TC5000's in the UK.

Among reasons cited for this order were productivity improvements of 30-40% over the TC500 and therefore an ability to get 3-4 times as much work out of the floorspace vacated by the current TC240.

It would also provide the means to maintain keen unit prices in an increasingly competitive market.

A further attraction was the Trumpf Multishear tool used to achieve highest edge quality at fastest profiling rates; this is very important in the quality conscious market in which they operate.

And last but by no means least was the ability to retro-fit a SheetMaster onto the TC5000, which will unlock the potential of unmanned night and weekend working in the near future.

Broxton know that a major factor in their success is their ability to offer a quality service to their customers and acknowledge that a major constituent of this is their world class machinery, such as their new TC5000 from Trumpf.