A Black Country manufacturing specialist is celebrating 10 years of supplying hydraulic presses in the UK by hitting a major sales milestone.

Danny Wheldon (P.A.B. Coventry), Russell Hartill (Worcester Presses) and Mark Brazier (P.A.B. Coventry)

Worcester Presses, which employs 14 people at its works in Dudley, has recently installed its 50th hydraulic press into P.A.B. (Coventry) to help it cope with an increase in orders from the automotive and aerospace sector.

The sheet metal and prototype experts have taken a Yeh Chiun 300 tonne H-Frame hydraulic press that is capable of delivering the precision accuracy crucial in producing pressings and metal grills that will be used in supercars and a host of Aston Martin models.

Praised for its flexibility and power, the machine’s relatively small footprint fits perfectly within the company’s factory and the latest control software means programmes can be stored and called upon quickly.

This latest install marks Worcester Presses’ best ever year of hydraulic press sales, with this type of machine now accounting for 20% of the firm’s £2.2m turnover.

“There is a distinct lack of domestic specialists in this area of press expertise and we are really benefitting from our decision to invest in our growing range,” explained Russell Hartill, Director of Worcester Presses.

“Whilst many of our competitors have stopped trading, we have thrived by offering customers access to a range of C-Frame and H-Frame models, varying from 20 tonnes right up to 2000 tonnes. This is backed up by our ability to customise machines to suit specific applications, a comprehensive service package and the biggest stockholding of spares for this equipment in the country.”

He continued: “Hydraulic presses offer great versatility and are suitable for low, medium and high volume production, especially components that are used in assembly and those that are deep drawn.

“The technology has come on a lot since we first sold them in the UK, with many of our presses featuring touch screen controls, improved programme memory and another major benefit is the remote access facility, where our service department can directly interrogate the control system as required for offsite support.”

P.A.B. (Coventry) is a perfect example of a company that really plays to the strength of the hydraulic press, producing a range of complex parts for the automotive and aerospace sectors – two of the most demanding markets around.

Unlike its mechanical counterpart, this type of machine can generate full pressing force anywhere in the stroke and allows the user to control job parameters, including travel distance, pressure and return position.

Hydraulic force can also encourage creative and dynamic engineering, which is directly suited for prototyping and low volume, complex production.

Mark Brazier, CEO of P.A.B. (Coventry), added his support: “The YCT-300 Worcester hydraulic press is a great addition to our capability and is directly involved in added value work we complete for a number of car manufacturers and some sub-frame components for aerospace.

“Installation was smooth and training for our operators was completed quickly, meaning the hydraulic press could have an immediate positive impact on our output. We have been very impressed with its versatility and the fact we can quickly set it up to take on new and diverse jobs. Tool life is also very good.”

He continued: “We have been working with Worcester Presses since an Engineering Show five years ago and have always received a great service, from understanding our desired application and then matching it to the right machine. The service and maintenance packages are also first class.”

Established in 1949, Worcester Presses has seen strong demand over the last twelve months from customers involved in the automotive, aerospace, construction and medical sectors.

The Dudley firm, which will be on stand 60-639 at MACH 2020, supplies a host of mechanical and hydraulic presses from Chin Fong and Yeh Chiun, as well as growing its range with Tomac coil handling equipment and Lee Yih press transfer lines.

As part of its expansion, it has recently invested in a new CNC lathe to help it with machine modifications and to produce spares for its extensive stockholding.

For further information, please visit www.worcesterpresses.co.uk or follow @worcesterpress on twitter.