Ladbrook and Westcotec Collaborate on a New Generation of Electronic Traffic Signs

Ladbrook's New Metal Spinning Technology Delivers Outstanding Success

Ladbrook Wins New Business in the Medical and Scientific Sector

Ladbrook to Offer Circle Shearing Service

Ladbrook's New Metal Spinning Technology Delivers Outstanding Success

North Walsham engineering company Ladbrook are celebrating the success of their investment in new metal spinning technology, a Leifeld PNC 106 with combined PNC/CNC. This highly automated metal spinning machine is now key to the production of products such as 'paint kettles', small paint pots that are used by professional decorators around the world.

With the production of paint kettles on target for tens of thousands a year, the new machine has also been busy on a number of other projects ranging from components for in-shop display systems to specialist equipment for scientists. Future projects for the metal spinning machine include components for water heating vessels and enclosures for intelligent road signs.

"The new metal spinning machine has been superb," said Paul Goodman, Manufacturing Director at Ladbrook. "We can now produce a paint kettle in very competitive time cycles and the quality and consistency of the products coming off the machine has been excellent and has exceeded our expectations. It's a great feeling to think that our products are now on the shelves of major DIY stores and in national catalogues."

In addition to their success with the metal spinning side of the business, Ladbrook have also recently won large contracts for pressed metal parts for the automotive sector and the technology sector. They have also seen the manufacturing side of the business grow with the success of the ‘Little Smasher’, a glass-recycling machine that they produce.

"Despite the economic gloom that has been around, we've remained very busy and upbeat," said Mike Blowers, Managing Director. "We have a team of very talented engineers at Ladbrook and we have all been working hard to ensure that we continue to grow and succeed. It's been a very rewarding year so far - we have been awarded several contracts by well known and prestigious companies and we have several more in the pipeline."

back to the top>>

Ladbrook Engineering Benefits as UK Manufacturers Retreat from Off-Shoring

Ladbrook in a Spin over Sony Display System Contract

UK metal spinning specialists, Ladbrook, have announced that they have won a contract to provide their metal spinning services for the manufacture of retail display stands to be used for the promotion of Sony DVD's.

Manufactured by Impulse POP www.impulsepop.co.uk , an approved supplier of Sony and a specialist supplier in Point of Purchase systems for the Retail sector, the current initial contract is for the supply of 1,000 systems.

Using advanced CNC metal spinning technology, Ladbrook are supplying the circular metal dishes that make up the top and bottom of the display. Metal Spinning is a powerful metal forming technique used to create conical and cylindrical shapes. As the metal is spun on a high-speed axis, it is shaped using CNC controlled tools.

An important aspect of metal spinning is that the material hardens as it is worked; this feature of metal spinning enables the manufacture of thinner, yet stronger components . In addition to this important engineering benefit, there are significant commercial benefits in that less material is required and it does not incur the tooling costs associated with a pressed metal approach.

For Impulse Pop, one clear benefit of this approach is that this technique provides robust, yet very light components - therefore reducing shipping costs and allowing for easy assembly and handling.

“We take great pride in the quality and service that our company provides,” said Mark McKeown, Managing Director of Impulse Pop. “ We've found Ladbrook to be a company with similar values. They have been very committed to the project and have delivered excellent quality parts within demanding timescales. In addition to this, they have always been communicative and responsive.”

Impulse Pop design and manufacture display systems for a broad range of companies, many of whom are well known high street retailers. Using 3Dcomputer aided design technology and a diverse range of materials, Impulse Pop have become recognised for their innovative retail solutions.

“We are really pleased to be working with Impulse Pop on this project,” said Paul Goodman, Manufacturing Director at Ladbrook . “We supply a diverse range of industries and the retail sector has been an area of growth for us in recent times. As metal spinning goes, this is quite large format machining, so the project had some challenges but none that we couldn't overcome. Our newly installed CNC metal spinning machine ensured that we could meet the deadline and deliver a consistently high level of quality.”

back to the top>>

Ladbrook Wins New Business in the Medical and Scientific Sector

East Anglia based Ladbrook Engineering are celebrating important recent successes in both the scientific and medical industries.

Paul Goodman, Manufacturing Director of Ladbrook

Ladbrook have been working closely with a worldwide provider of surgical operating equipment, helping to develop the metalwork for a new lighting technology that will soon be going into large-scale production. In addition to this, they have started supplying specialist components use in the manufacture of scientific equipment.

Over the past 70 years, this family owned business has supplied components for everything from power-showers to power-stations but these recent projects are Ladbrook's first break into the medical and scientific sectors.

"The operating theatre lighting project is high quality, high value engineering," said Paul Goodman, Manufacturing Director at Ladbrooks. "It's been a challenging and exciting project and it's good to hear that it's going into production and that trials have been a great success. Our current business strategy is to broaden our customer base and further develop our specialist precision metal spinning services, so breaking into the medical sector with such a high profile project is a great success for us."

Metal Spinning is a powerful metal forming technique used to create conical and cylindrical shapes. As the metal is spun on a high speed axis, it is shaped, either by hand or by using computer controlled tools. An important aspect of metal spinning is that the material hardens as it is worked, this feature of metal spinning enables the manufacture of thinner, yet stronger components. In addition to this important engineering benefit, there are important commercial benefits in that less material is required and it does not incur the tooling costs associated with the alternative pressed metal approach.

"Towards the end of last year we invested in the very latest metal spinning technology," said Paul Goodman. "Being highly automated, it delivers both high throughput and extremely consistent quality. This advanced metal spinning technology has recently helped us win several high volume projects, supplying companies in the scientific sector. The feedback, regarding the quality and delivery times, has been very positive. So much so, we are now in discussion with these new customers regarding further new projects. Again, this is not one of our traditional markets, so for us, this is another great breakthrough and a very exciting way to start 2008."

Over the past few years, companies such as Ladbrook have faced a turbulent business environment due to volatile metal prices, aggressive competition from countries such as China and India and also the consolidation and decline of some traditional markets.

“Increasingly buyers are looking for the complete packages and that means Ladbrook are ideally suited to these expanding markets,” commented Mike Blowers, Managing Director of Ladbrook.”

Ladbrook reported a successful year during 2007 winning significant contracts due to what they regard as competitive pricing and excellent service and have set ambitious goals for 2008.

"Yes, it's not always been easy, we've had a lot of changes to deal with," said Paul. "You could say, it's kept us on our toes! However, we anticipated many of the issues and, in retrospect, we made some good decisions regarding our business direction, investment in machinery and in maintaining the quality of the top class engineering team we have here at Ladbrook."

back to the top>>

Ladbrook Imports Metal Spinning Technology and Know-How From Germany

North Walsham engineering company Ladbrook brought in specialist engineering training services from Germany last week to ensure that their employees received the very best training on using their latest technology. An engineer from German company Leifeld flew into the UK on Monday morning to spend the week at Ladbrook to provide additional specialist training on an advanced 'metal spinning' technology that forms metal into conical and spherical shapes.

"Our new metal spinning machine is the Rolls Royce of engineering technology and will strengthen our existing capability in this area" said Paul Goodman, Manufacturing Director at Ladbrook. "After making such a substantial investment, we wanted to make sure that we will make the most of this technology. The best support for this was from the machine manufacturer in Germany."

Ladbrook Engineering has been in existence over 70 years and still remains a family owned company. They have manufactured parts for products used in industries such as water heating systems, medical, building and window, railway, and the refrigeration industry. Over the past two years they have particularly benefited from the trend that has seen engineering work return from the Far East back to the UK due to customer service, delivery, quality and environmental issues.

"The past two years has seen a welcome upturn in UK engineering," said Paul. "European manufacturers once again value the excellence that European engineers can deliver and also the fact that they can have more control over quality and delivery when working closer to their suppliers. This is a great turnaround and has enabled UK companies such as Ladbrook to invest in this kind of competitive and powerful technology and this heightened level of training."

Metal Spinning is a metal forming technique used to create conical and cylindrical shapes. As the metal is spun on a high-speed axis, it is shaped using computer controlled tools. An important aspect of metal spinning is that the material hardens as it is worked; this feature of metal spinning enables the manufacture of thinner, yet stronger components. In addition to this important engineering benefit, there are important commercial benefits in that less material is required and set up costs are low.

" Metal spinning is a process that is closely related to our core business of pressed metal parts," said Paul. "With the new machine and the additional expertise we will be able to provide a broader and more competitive service for both existing and new customers and we will also be able to handle more complex designs and a higher throughput."

Ladbrook have a strategy of growth based on a sound financial platform and value greatly the good partnerships with their suppliers and customers. Ladbrook anticipates further growth as a result of landing several long-term projects. Ladbrook attribute their success to their passion for engineering along with their willingness to embrace new technology and an understanding of what their customers expect, which includes quality control systems and high quality production methods.

For more information regarding Ladbrook's press metal and metal spinning services , contact Paul Goodman on 01692 402156

back to the top>>

Ladbrook to Offer Circle Shearing Service

UK pressed metal specialist Ladbrook have announced that they are now able to provide a circle shearing service, enabling them to supply metal circles, metal rings and a variety of shaped blanks with circular holes as used in the ducting and air conditioning industries. Ladbrook expect to supply engineering companies and manufacturers across Europe. They are also able to provide additional processes such as drilling, pressing, punching and folding plus complete fabrication where required. Using a computer controlled circle-shearing machine that can cut at up to 75m per minute, Ladbrook are now able to provide fast and accurate production of a variety of sheet metal components.

"We can now accurately cut metal discs and metal circles up to 1250mm and 3mm thick, said Paul Goodman, Manufacturing Director at Ladbrook. "The acquisition of the process has been due to a specific order but we still have capacity available to take on additional projects and now we've seen how powerful this equipment can be, we feel sure there will be manufacturers out there who would like to benefit from this technology."

Ladbrook provide manufacturing services for a range of industries such as water heating systems, automotive, medical equipment, agricultural equipment and the window industry. With a 70 year history in pressed metal parts, Ladbrook remains a leader in this field but now also provides a broad range of engineering services such as injection mould tooling design, metal spinning and product assembly. Key to Ladbrook's success has been its focus on employing knowledgeable and passionate engineers and a keen understanding of quality systems.

For more information regarding Ladbrook's circle shearing services, contact Paul Goodman on 01692 402156

back to the top>>

Ladbrook Engineering Benefits as UK Manufacturers Retreat from Off-Shoring

Ladbrook enjoyed one of their best years last year with an increase in turnover and an enviable list of new customers. 2007 saw many reasons for the staff at this 70-year-old family company to celebrate. An important aspect of Ladbrook's success has been the fact that although some UK manufacturers are still seeking supplies from countries such as China and the Far East, many other companies now feel that they have 'been there, done that and got the T-shirt'. These companies are now seeking the close communication and control that can only come from a local supplier within the UK.

"We think that such issues as quality, turnaround times, tough commercial terms and extensive traveling are starting to out-weigh the benefits of the 'per item pricing', " said Mike Blowers. "It might be that the hidden costs and stresses of this kind of distant supply partner are proving to be too much. It's great news for us of course, we've won several good projects that have been brought back to the UK and we can see much more to come."

Ladbrook are so optimistic about this trend that during 2007 they have invested in new technologies, taken on new staff and have expanded the range of services that they offer. For 2008, they even have plans to expand their premises. Ladbrook's new services such as circle shearing , a processes that can precisely cut metal circles and discs, are already attracting a lot of attention with several high volume projects currently in discussion. A service that they have expanded is metal spinning , a specialist process that enables the production of conical shaped metal parts.

“The highly successful spinning service that Ladbrook already offers has been further expanded with the introduction of a high specification CNC/PNC metal spinning lathe that will produce conical, spherical and parallel walled components," said Mike Blowers. "It's another exciting step forward for us.”

Ladbrook's new projects have included parts for medical equipment, precision parts for scientific instruments, specialist parts for military systems and heavy pressed metal parts for hydraulic control systems.

“It's fair to say that the last year or two have been turbulent times for engineering,” said Mike Blowers. “With metal prices rising and falling and with some companies still exploring off-shore suppliers, it's been a tricky period for the industry. Without doubt, it's been the passion and the energy of the team here at Ladbrook that has helped us achieve such great results. I feel confident that we have even better times to come during 2008.”

For the past 70 years Ladbrook Engineering & Manufacturing Company Limited have been working with manufacturers around the world, providing them with the best expertise available in the field of pressed metal parts. Today, they are able to provide high volume production as well as low volume pre-production and prototype samples. With a capacity for more than 150 million pressed metal parts per year and a broad range of automated machinery, they are well equipped to provide manufacturers with the best of British engineering at world market pricing.

For more information regarding Ladbrook's press metal and metal spinning services, contact Paul Goodman on 01692 402156

back to the top>>

Ladbrook and Westcotec Collaborate on a New Generation of Electronic Traffic Signs

Norfolk Engineering Collaboration Saves Lives

North Walsham engineering company Ladbrook, and Dereham-based Westcotec have worked together to develop a new generation of electronic road signs that will help reduce accidents and save lives in built up areas. The new sign is called a 'Speed Roundel' and is an unobtrusive compact design that can be attached to streetlights and will illuminate on detection of traffic exceeding the speed limit. These types of signs are proven to not only calm traffic but also reduce fatalities.

"Our new 'Speed Roundel' has many advantages over existing designs," said Phil Hayton, Managing Director of Westcotec. "It is small and discreet when not active but very bright once activated. It is also powered from the electric supply within the street light, ensuring a much lower cost of installation. Another aspect of the design is a lightweight vandal-proof enclosure that will ensure the sign will remain working for many years. In urban areas, these types of signs can have a hard life and be costly to maintain. In view of this we make then as robust as possible and offer a 5 year guarantee."

Although Westcotec are the designer and manufacturer of the new sign, Ladbrook was invited to assist with the development of the new metal enclosure due to their considerable experience in the field of 'metal spinning'. Metal Spinning is a powerful metal forming technique used to create conical and cylindrical shapes. As the metal is spun on a high-speed axis, it is shaped, either by hand or by using CNC controlled tools. An important aspect of metal spinning is that the material hardens as it is worked; this feature of metal spinning enables the manufacture of thinner, yet stronger components.

"We are very pleased to have contributed to this design," said Paul Goodman, Manufacturing Director at Ladbrook. "The enclosure needed to have a pleasant appearance and be light in weight, yet also be very strong and vandal proof. So, the design had its challenges. We are very pleased with the final product, it is very impressive and I am sure it will be a great success."

Westcotec have become a leader in accident reduction technology and have manufactured over 5,000 electronic road signs since 2002. They now employ 14 staff with a turnover of £2.25m and year on year growth of 12%. Their customers include local authorities, airports, British Rail, military camps, universities and ports.

"We expect to ship a lot of the new Speed Roundels said Phil Hayton. "With such a simple installation process, the smaller format and a long working life, we expect to see a high level of demand. This product will bring down the overall cost of accident reduction and we feel sure that will be attractive to local authorities currently trying to manage their budget."

Westcotec expect the new Speed Roundel to be particularly useful as a high visibility ‘reminder’ in 20 MPH areas.

About Westcotec

Since 2001, Westcotec Ltd has been at the forefront of the Vehicle Activated Sign industry. Based in Norfolk, Westcotec has grown to become one of the biggest suppliers of quality vehicle activated signs in the country. Using state of the art LED and radar technology, they are able to provide effective solutions to most traffic related safety problems. Through continued development, they have exceeded the latest European performance standards. At the heart of their growth, is a commitment to customer service. Westcotec's aim is to make the whole process of buying a VAS system as smooth as possible. Free advice is always available from their experienced staff. http://www.westcotec.co.uk