By blending its family traditions with a go-ahead investment policy, West Midlands based precision subcontract machinist Marquin Engineering has found the recipe to improve its competitiveness and grow the business into a more successful operation despite threats from lower cost overseas competition.

Marquin Engineering in Wolverhampton is now run by the second generation of the Spencer family, and while mother and father are still involved on a part-time basis - brothers George and Edward are now joint managing directors. The brothers bought into the business in 1989, and despite market fluctuations have adopted what has turned out to be a very successful 'invest to progress' policy resulting in an influx of advanced CNC machine tools to the company, and the raising of competitive stakes against other suppliers. However, while additional spindle availability has increased its production capability, the company has found its recent installation of the Networked DNC system, supplied by Seiki Systems of Brighton, has proven to be the catalyst to optimise machine utilisation and productivity from its 10 CNC machines by ensuring the efficient management, control, and traceability of all part programs created at the Heath Town factory.

Installed just over a year ago, the Networked DNC system now handles well over 1,000 programs and it has had a marked impact on operating efficiency in supporting the 24 hour, five-day production week and multi-manning routines where one operator looks after up to three machines.

Says Edward Spencer: 'The Seiki System's software is much faster, provides far greater flexibility, is totally reliable in terms of operation and system back-up and has proven critical in helping to improve customer confidence, and maintaining compliance to ISO 9000 traceability requirements. Now it is so simple to provide full traceability against the related works order number for parts machined against the program used.' He maintains: 'The previous DNC system could take up to an hour to download a complex program, whereas the Seiki software will handle similar tasks well inside a couple of minutes.' And he adds: 'We are now enjoying the benefits of total program security with the system's ability to automatically check programs and highlight any unusual event during production. These can then be easily tracked back to determine why the program was modified or changed and will even cover precise elements such as speeds or feeds.

Over the last four years, Marquin has invested approaching GBP 1 million on new horizontal machining centres representing quite a hefty commitment for the 17 people business which has a current turnover of just over GBP 1.1 million. The company was among the early wave of small subcontractors to recognise the productivity benefits of using horizontal machining centres with pallets in preference to vertical spindle types when it bought its first machining centre some 16 years ago. Today the number installed has risen to six horizontals, including two of the latest Mori Seiki NH 4000 DGG twin-pallet machines.

While the Spencer brothers perform the roles of joint managing directors, they are both dedicated hands-on engineers who are often seen working on the shop floor. Edward Spencer, for example, handles most of the programming for the company's 10 CNC machines which also include three CNC lathes, a vertical machining centre and a co-ordinate measuring machine. He describes the previous DNC style system linked to four machines: 'Compared to the Seiki Systems' software this is now shown up to be really slow and laborious and not always totally reliable,' he says.

Following an offer by Seiki Systems at MACH 2004, the company took the opportunity of the manufacturing software specialist's free-of-charge DNC package offered to any new machine purchaser at the exhibition. As George Spencer recalled: 'As the offer included all the management software, together with commissioning our first new Mori Seiki horizontal machining centre. When we looked at it, it was a relatively low cost addition to include all our other CNC machines.' Today, Marquin has all 10 of its CNC machines connected and key staff have access to the system by way of two PCs - one in the production office and the other in the inspection department.

Having been in business since 1962, Marquin specialises in machining castings and forgings which are used by a variety of different industry sectors including: rail track and electrification, commercial vehicle suspension, construction machinery, hydraulic valve and military communications. Component sizes range from 30mm diameter up to a maximum of 1m2 and batch sizes vary between 50 and 5,000. The tightest tolerances tend to be around 10 micron.

The transfer of CNC programs is somewhat unusual at Marquin as the company generally prefers to use its setting skills to create the part programs on the shopfloor via the machine control. Once generated, the programs are then uploaded to the Seiki Networked DNC system where they are stored ready for subsequent access and distribution to the appropriate machines.

However, any program editing or fine tuning tends to be performed on the DNC system and certain programs are even modified so that they will run on a number of different machines to provide greater levels of production flexibility. As quite a high proportion of the company's work is repeat business, with typically one or two batches of work being produced for specific customers each month, this means on-going program changes or modifications are often minimal.

Looking back over the last 12 months, Marquin Engineering sees DNC as yet another key element in its on-going programme of modernisation, investment and business expansion. While the cost of installation is low - the return on investment is high. As Spencer summed up: 'If we can operate efficiently, then we can compete with low wage rate economies. High speed horizontal machining centres, hydraulic fixturing, efficient programming and distribution routines, high level quality procedures, multi-machine manning and round-the-clock working are all key elements we must use. It is not easy and we still have to work really hard and be more professional in all our dealings with customers.'

And this philosophy is working which the Spencer brothers put down to commitment to technology with practical, hands-on management. Now, Marquin is once again moving the business forward and has ordered its third Mori Seiki NH 4000 DGG twin-pallet machining centre, due for delivery in late 2005 with a resulting forecast that sales will rise by at least 20%. The company has also just acquired the factory next door which will increase its total floor space to over 12,000 ft2 across the two linked units, and provide new reception and office facilities