Hitec Sheet Metal Ltd does things a little differently to many of its competitors, basing its success on component quality, attention to detail and personal service. To help maintain its top priority of guaranteed customer deliveries, Hitec has been installing AMADA solutions since its outset in 1993. The company today runs a number of automated AMADA machines that include a REGIUS-3015AJ 6kW fibre laser cutter with ASLUL-3015 tower and an EMZ-3510NT punch press with MP-3015 loader.
Cambridgeshire-based Hitec is a privately owned business operating from purpose-built 35,000 sq ft premises. Here, around 30 highly skilled and trained engineers help generate turnover in the region of £3.5 million. The company specialises in thin-gauge, fine-limit work, typically prototype, pre-production and low-to-mid production runs. Work currently includes producing parts for everything from professional AV (audio visual) equipment and scientific instruments to central heating systems and commercial catering equipment. Other key sectors include telecoms, IT, medical, packaging and print. “We’re at the top end of the market, where customers get what they want without fail,” states Managing Director John Stevenson. “We specialist in complex work: if someone requires 1000 brackets for supermarket shelving, we’re a million miles from that. However, if a potential customer is looking for a personal service and continued support over many years, that’s us. We’re the sole supplier of sheet metalwork to around 95% of our clients.”
He continues: “We process very little over 3mm thick; we leave that to others. At Hitec we prefer to specialise in what we do best based on our long-standing partnership with AMADA. By way of example, we recently strengthened our business with the installation of an automated REGIUS-3015AJ 6kW fibre laser cutter.” Hitec first got involved with laser cutting in the mid-90s, when relatively few others offered this technology. After many years of success, the company was able to take its laser cutting service to a whole new level when AMADA released its REGIUS-AJ. The extreme precision of AMADA REGIUS linear drive technology maximises machine potential and minimises downtime. Common processing issues are solved thanks to autonomous functions such as automatic beam centring and advanced process monitoring, enabling a shift to next-level laser cutting.
“It gives us the flexibility we need,” he says. “Don’t get me wrong, the REGIUS is extremely fast, but due to our typical volumes we are less about speed and more about flexibility and quality.”
Another recent addition at Hitec is an AMADA HFE3i-1003 eight-axis press brake. The company’s fourth AMADA press brake, the new model again provides flexibility and continuity of supply, where the company can guarantee customer deliveries regardless of any unexpected issues. Hitec also takes advantage of AMADA VPSS3i Blank CADCAM software and V-factory, AMADA’s Industry 4.0 offer. V-factory actively monitors the performance and operation of machines by collecting data in real-time and facilitating access to that information anytime, anywhere. “The beauty of V-factory is that AMADA can see a problem arising before we do, making sure we get the best from the machines at all times,” explains Mr Stevenson. “We got V-factory free for 12 months with the REGIUS but we renewed without hesitation, which tells its own story.”
AMADA machines have a market reputation for reliability, prevailing for a working lifetime in many instances. “The REGIUS replaced a 24-year-old AMADA punch press that had worked very hard and still ran perfectly with nothing more than regular maintenance from AMADA,” reports Mr Stevenson. “We have all of our machines under service contract with AMADA. It provides a vital insurance policy for our customers.” Attention to detail and personal service are real differentiators at Hitec, something which the company supplements with its investment in the latest manufacturing technologies.
“AMADA machines are amazing, but even more so with their UK back-up, which couldn’t be any better,” he concludes. “We always assess the market when planning a new investment, but it’s impossible to justify going anywhere else.”
