A leading die-casting company is increasing its manufacturing space by 60% and will open a new foundry with the help of experts from the Coventry-based Manufacturing Technology Centre (MTC).
An SME team from the MTC’s Manufacturing Support Services worked with MRT Castings, helping them with the layout for their new facility, automation and technology selection and robotic handling.
MRT Castings supplies aluminium die-castings and components to leading companies across the UK and Europe from its factory in Andover, Hampshire. The company approached the MTC to help with the planning of their new 20,000sq/ft foundry, designed to accommodate the latest technology and improve productivity while providing a first-class manufacturing environment.
MTC engineers, working with MRT employees and managers helped plan the layout for the new foundry, creating 3D CAD models of all existing and proposed equipment, laying it out within the architects’ plans for the building, and running workshops for MRT’s team, using virtual reality technology to enable staff to visualise and optimise the layout.
Following this project, the partnership has continued, with MTC engineers moving onto projects to select and implement robotic loading solutions for their CNC machining centres. Dean Baker, director of the MTC’s Business Launch Centre, said the work with MRT Castings had demonstrated that as well as helping start-ups bring products to market, they could also use their expertise to improve productivity and competitiveness in well-established and leading SMEs.