Subcontractor Filters Out Production Benefits

In 2008 VRS Precision Engineering Ltd celebrated its 40th anniversary. In 1968 a milling machine was installed in a garage in Portsmouth, metal was cut, and VRS was born. Founded by Mr Valmiki Ravani Sinanan, the company now manufactures high precision components for the aerospace, medical, marine, shop fitting, filtration and construction industries. Continually investing in its staff and capitol equipment to achieve exemplary quality to satisfy customer demands, VRS now has eight machining centres from Matsuura, Makino and Daewoo. On the turning front, the now Fareham based company has a series of Mori-Seiki turning centres that have recently been added to by two Puma and one Lynx centre. With 21 machine tools at its facility, VRS observed a continual film of oil and dust in its facility from its machine tools. The company also noticed the smell of coolant and oil in the air. As a pro-active manufacturer, VRS installed two ceiling ventilation systems from Air Cleaning Systems (ACS) of Cardiff to eradicate the problem. The ceiling holder units immediately reduced workshop smells and atmospheric particles to improve staff working conditions. In 2006, VRS procured a Matsuura 800VG11 and a Matsuura 1000VG vertical machining centre. The acquisitions enabled VRS to produce its aluminium and stainless steel fuel filtration and air conditioning components for aerospace manufacturers such as Boeing and Airbus. Moving to technology such as through coolant and high speed machining that generates high levels of swarf, smoke and coolant mist; the ISO: 9001 company was advised by Matsuura to invest in filtration systems for the machines. The machine tool manufacturer suggested systems from ACS and soon after the relationship was rekindled. ACS seamlessly fitted colour coded filtration systems to the Matsuura centres as VRS Production Manager, Mr Rod Bradley comments: “The machines fitted straight into our production operation and made an impact. However, it was the filtration systems that made the impact with our staff. As any machinist working on a modern CNC will find, with ever increasing speeds and feeds combined with through or high pressure coolant, the machine has to be left a minute or two for the fumes to settle before removing the part from the work envelope. The ACS systems immediately changed this.” The Matsuura operators were delighted with the extraction units and gave the filtration systems outstanding endorsements. The machinists were free from the airborne particles and the smells that emanate from a machine tool. Immediately the other staff wanted the systems fitted to their machines. As a health and safety conscious business, 21 employee VRS embarked on a mission to install filtration systems on all its machine tools. As Mr Bradley continues: “We have taken steps to put the ACS filtration systems on every CNC machine after seeing the impact on the shop floor. The components and the tooling coming of the machines now have no oil film that can be detrimental to following processes. Added to this, we have no sticky oil film on the machines, floor, tools or anything else you may find in a busy workshop. It also gives a better impression when showing customers around a clean and odour free machine shop.” The impact of the ACS OMF1000 systems fitted to the Matsuura machines meant that an additional system followed in April 2008 on its Mori Seiki ZL15SM turning centre. With staff increasingly pleased with the fume and mist reduction, the plant wide installation gathered pace with two further Mori Seiki turning centres having the systems fitted a month later. The company’s series of new Doosan Puma and Lynx machine tools soon followed with two Pumas fitted in May and a Puma and Lynx fitted with the system in June 2008. With the second installation faze completed, VRS embarked on phase three in January 2009 with a further Matsuura machining centre and Puma and Mori Seiki turning centres also havin

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