Hone-All Precision’s core expertise is in honing, deep hole drilling and boring, and gundrilling, although as visitors to the recent MACH 2010 manufacturing technology exhibition could see for themselves, this BS EN ISO 9001:2008/BS EN AS 9100:2003-accredited subcontractor provides a complete manufacturing service – from sourcing raw materials through to producing quality machined components. Specialising in deep hole boring, deep hole drilling, CNC turning, CNC honing and milling, it is equipped to machine components up to 300 mm diameter by 3 m long, and has the expertise to produce high length-to-diameter ratio holes, often in difficult to machine materials such as Inconel and Hastelloy, while guaranteeing excellent surface finish and straightness. In terms of deep hole drilling this equates to a surface finish of 0.8 μm/32 CLA and a total run-out (TIR) of 0.025 mm/25.4 mm, while the typical surface finish for honing is 0.05 µm. The Leighton Buzzard subcontracting company submitted its SC21 application within four months of beginning the actual process, having exceeded the recently-upgraded Bronze level performance requirements of 90-95 per cent on-time deliveries and 98-99.5 per cent quality performance. |
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According to Managing Director, Colin Rodney, "we are committed to delivering the best possible service to our customers, all of whom benefit from the various improvements that we have made, and that we will continue to make, in our drive for world-class performance."
As part of this on-going process Hone-All Precision has restructured its entire manufacturing operation following its relocation in 2008 to a fully-refurbished 20,000 sq. ft. factory. This provided the ideal opportunity to introduce various environmental initiatives, as well as significantly improving the process flow from raw material to finished component. The decision to relocate was taken and implemented before the economic downturn began and, while the timing of the move did initially present some difficulties, it has since provided the company with an ideal environment in which to implement a logical flow of work, from delivery of raw material to shipment of finish machined components, and to address every aspect of quality management and excellence.
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The doubling of the floorspace available that resulted from the substantial six month-long refurbishment project has enabled additional investments to be made in machine tools and related equipment. This has been a vital part of the company's lean manufacturing strategy developed initially with input from Cranfield Manufacturing Business Consultancy, which has shortened delivery times and minimised the movement of heavy materials through the new factory. “Now, hopefully, the reward for the team will be to receive our Bronze Award at the ultimate of venues, the Farnborough Aerospace show,” says Andrea Rodney, Bedfordshire's Businesswoman of the Year 2009. “After that, our focus is on meeting the SC21 Silver level criteria of 99.5-99.9 per cent quality performance, a demanding requirement that to date has only been achieved by four SC21 participant companies.” |
