Manufacturing
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GalleryCrittall’s CNC Innovation
- 12 January 2024
- News
We’re incredibly pleased to announce that, at the end of last year, we invested £250,000 in brand new CNC machinery, meaning we now have five specialist devices embedded within our manufacturing facilities.
Since introducing the machines to our Witham factory, we’ve seen incredible improvements to not only how our team operates but to our lead times which have more than halved.
Acquiring the additional CNC machinery forms part of a wider strategy involving the Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC). For several months, we’ve been working closely with their experts to improve efficiency and productivity across our entire fabrication process.
Our collaboration with MTC explores the principles of lean manufacturing and therefore involves assessing our current operations to make everything as effective as possible.
Throughout the project, we’ve been following the renowned ‘6S’ model which has allowed us to seamlessly identify and solve any pain points at Crittall. The benefits of the project have been fantastic, helping us to make cost savings and implement better waste management processes. Plus, with more CNC machinery on site, we’ve successfully utilised electronic data transfer from order to machine and have also eliminated several downstream processes. The introduction of the machinery means that we can perfectly combine modern techniques with the traditional methods that set us apart from our competitors. This is because the precision of the CNC machines perfectly prepares our profiles, giving them unrivalled uniformity, while our team of specialists add the finishing touches with their incredible handcrafting skills.
For almost 200 years, our team has taken pride in producing high quality steel windows and doors which truly stand the test of time. Investing in these new machines allows us to work to this same standard but at a much faster pace, completely revolutionising how we operate at Crittall.
For more information about our quality steel windows and doors click here.