Standardisation with LANG Workholding Drives Efficiency Gains at Howells Railway Products

Howells Railway Products Limited has significantly enhanced its machining efficiency after implementing a standardised workholding strategy using the LANG system across its production facility.

In just twelve months, the company has invested in LANG workholding across 26 Haas machines, creating a unified setup that has transformed the way parts are prepared and machined on the shop floor. The move towards a standardised system has enabled faster changeovers, improved setup consistency and reduced downtime, delivering measurable productivity gains.

The simplicity of the LANG system has been central to its success. With a straightforward “straight on and off” approach to workholding, operators can rapidly swap setups without the need for repeated alignment or time-consuming adjustments. This interchangeability is particularly valuable for manufacturers looking to optimise their processes and prepare for future automation strategies.

For many manufacturers, traditional workholding methods still involve resetting vices and re-establishing setups for every job. By contrast, the LANG system allows setups to be transferred seamlessly between machines, ensuring repeatability and streamlining production workflows.

MTDCNC recently visited Howells Railway Products to explore how this investment is supporting the company’s operational improvements. During the visit, Chloe Reeve from MTDCNC spoke with Justin Johnson and Alexander Barnes from Howells Railway Products, alongside Tony Lewis from LANG Technik UK Ltd., to discuss how the system is contributing to efficiency gains and forming part of the company’s longer-term automation roadmap.

The discussions highlight a broader shift taking place across the manufacturing sector, where standardisation, interchangeability and faster setup times are becoming key enablers for automation and scalable production.

To learn more about Howells Railway Products’ adoption of LANG workholding and the impact it is having on their machining strategy, watch the full conversation here:
https://lnkd.in/ec4Xw6zk