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Published Editorial Business set to grow on back of timely investment
Having started Plymouth Metal Polishing with an investment of £150 and achieving a first year turnover of £9000 back in 1989, Managing Director Steve Kelly is rightly proud of the business that is now one of the market leaders in metal polishing. His latest investment, a testament to his foresight and market awareness, is now moving the business forward to the next stage.
Over the past 20 years Steve Kelly has grown Plymouth Metal Polishing into what is now the largest company of its type in the south of England, supplying polished components to a diverse range of customers, ranging from individuals through to international construction companies and the leading manufacturers of superyachts.
"We have grown the business in stages and have had a policy of ongoing investment," says Steve Kelly. "We are now in a position where we are able to operate on two levels, these being hand polishing and industrial polishing. By doing this we are able to maintain very good levels of business from a diverse range of customers."
It is the latter area that has seen the latest round of investment with Plymouth Metal Polishing taking delivery of three Autopulit machines for linishing and polishing, supplied by Christchurch, Dorset-based Ellesco. "Towards the middle of last year I could see that we were heading towards difficult economic times," says Steve Kelly. "Therefore, I had to make a decision whether to continue with the equipment that we had, which while reliable was not the most efficient, or to take the decision to invest in new equipment to ensure that we would be in a position to win and maintain business as the economy turned down. This is proving to be a wise decision."
The three machines installed by Ellesco are proving to be highly productive and are bringing many advantages to Plymouth Metal Polishing. For example, a twin-headed, flat bed, linisher is being used to take flat bar or box section components to a high level of surface finish. The standard achieved by this machine is such that it satisfies almost all of Plymouth Metal Polishing's requirements, with only components that require 'super finishing' needing additional operations.
The installation of the new linisher has brought marked improvements to both productivity and the working environment, as Steve Kelly explains: "The advantage of this Autopulit machine is that it uses water as part of the polishing process, which means that there is no requirement for dust extraction. It also eliminates any burning or deformation of the component. As a result we are seeing a 20-fold increase in throughput when compared to the old processes that we used. Most components only have to pass through the machine once to achieve the finish that is required. The result of this improvement are being seen already, with one customer increasing the number of parts we are doing for them from 20/month to 80/week."
For tube components Mr Kelly opted for two twin-headed Autopulit centreless grinding and polishing machines. One machine is set up for linishing the raw tube, while the second is permanently set for polishing. The first machine uses a water system to eliminate dust, heat and any deformation of the parts, and the finish achieved is described as a 'satin finish'. This is acceptable for many applications in the construction industry.
However, to obtain the highly polished finish demanded by customers in the exclusive world of superyachts, tube is transferred to the second machine, which is set up specifically for polishing. As with the first machine the feed rate of the tube past the twin-heads is infinitely variable, allowing the optimum surface finish to be achieved. This is also helped by the programmable system that sprays polishing fluid on to the buffing wheels at pre-defined intervals.
"The market for tube-based components will always be there as customers for these products are so diverse, with parts being supplied as table legs for a superyacht cabin or a relatively mundane railing for a commercial building," says Steve Kelly. "This fact was instrumental in our decision to invest in this equipment and ensure that we are as efficient as possible in order to build on that side of the business. These machines allow us to be extremely competitive, due to the efficiencies that we are seeing while at the same time we are able to demonstrate improvements in quality and consistency. This is resulting in new business, some of which is coming from overseas customers."
What made the whole process that much easier for Plymouth Metal Polishing was the level of service and support that it received from Ellesco. "The whole process from purchase through to installation and set-up of the machines has been helped by the support we have had from the team at Ellesco. All three machines were in production in a very short space of time and we have the added advantage that they are helping us to create a cleaner, better and safer environment due to their design and use of modern production systems. With these machines in place we are now well placed to continue to grow the business, even during the recession, as we are able to compete both on price and quality for work anywhere in the world."
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