We captured the moment Halewood’s new state of the art 5 axis milling machine made its first metal cut, which saw history being made at our factory, as we move into the world of press tool manufacturing.
Earlier this year, the Tooling and Press Parts Group (T&PPG) announced it would be opening its first Die Manufacturing Centre at Halewood, following a £1.7million investment from UK manufacturing.
This has resulted in a complete transformation of the Tool Room and will allow Halewood employees to make press tools on site for the very first time, transforming the future of stampings activity at Halewood.
With ground works completed and the new machine installed, the metal cut marked a major milestone for the team as it forms part of the final commissioning processes in making the blanking dies. Blanking dies are used to create the shaped pieces out of the steel sheets, at the beginning of the stamping process, during new model launches.
On Track took the opportunity to speak to Halewood’s T&PPG Manager, Niall Ford; Tool Room Manager, Pat Thompson and some of the toolmakers and associates in the team about how it feels to “make the cut” and what the opening of the new Die Manufacturing Centre means for our plant and our people.
Talking about the cut, Niall said: “We are watching history in the making here as the metal cut is the final step in the process which will allow us to manufacture press tools on site for the very first time.
“This is incredible news for the Tool Room team because they be trained in the new processes and hand skills required to build and operate dies- something we have never done before in our factory’s 58-year history.”
“I feel proud to be standing here today as Pat and the team have delivered so much in such a short space of time. Back in January, we still had the designs of the new machine on paper, and over five months they have taken apart the old milling machine, dug up the floor, to free up space for the new centre, and in what seems like a blink of an eye, here we are making the metal cut on our first die- it is incredible.”
Pat Thompson, Toom Room manager, added: “It’s a great day for Halewood and particularly for the Tool Room team who have worked so hard to get to where we are today. It’s not been easy, and we have faced some challenges along the way, but to see the machine up and running and making its first metal cut has given everyone a real sense of pride in what they have achieved.
“This is the start of an exciting new chapter for our factory as we have a positive future in die manufacturing ahead of us.”
“It’s a great day for Halewood and particularly for the Tool Room team who have worked so hard to get to where we are today. It’s not been easy, and we have faced some challenges along the way, but to see the machine up and running and making its first metal cut has given everyone a real sense of pride in what they have achieved.
“This is the start of an exciting new chapter for our factory as we have a positive future in die manufacturing ahead of us.”
