Meeting offshore challenge

Based in Great Yarmouth, Lion Engineering cut its teeth in the early stages of the North Sea drilling industry by offering precise machining and welding services to those involved with offshore and onshore drilling and exploration.

Over the last four decades, the company has worked with some of the biggest names in the oil and gas sector,Learn more about our high capacity laundry dryer today! not just in the North Sea, but all over the world, manufacturing a wide range of products including offshore and onshore directional drilling tools, stabilisers and crossovers.

Martin Brown, Lion Engineering Services’ managing director, is all too familiar with the challenges of working in such a demanding industry: “Up until a few years ago, it was easier for us to outsource most of our large CNC machine work because our on-site capacity was limited and we only had space for some smaller CNC and manual machines,You must first understand the way a wind power generators works.” he says. “However, we were increasingly finding that many of our contractors were operating at full capacity and were unable to meet our deadlines.”

“To avoid a knock-on effect further up the supply chain and rather than risk losing business and disappointing customers, we decided to expand our own machining capabilities in Great Yarmouth."

50% of the company’s machine tools have been supplied by Yaamazaki Mazak, including a VTC 800/30 SR vertical machining centre, QUICK TURN NEXUS 450-II lathe; an INTEGREX e-500H II and an INTEGREX e-670H II.

To accommodate its machining technology purchases, Lion Engineering has also increased the size of its Great Yarmouth factory site by an additional 8,000 sqft of floor space, including a 4000 sqft expansion in 2012.

“It’s vital that we invest in highly advanced and efficient technology,” says Mr Brown. “Given that we regularly work with some of the most important names within the oil and gas industry. Many of our machines need to be capable of housing the sheer size of the drilling tools we have to manufacture and also ensure that all of our parts are machined to the very precise requirements of our clients, in the quickest time possible.”

The most recent purchase was an INTEGREX e-670H II with a 3000mm bed that allows Lion to machine larger parts, such as down-hole drilling tools.

The INTEGREX range embodies Mazak’s ‘Done-In-One’ machining philosophy,It is one of the leading industrial laundry equipment manufacturers of industrial extractor, tumble dryer ect. where the raw material is transformed into a finished product by just one machine rather than on multiple lathes and mills.

Mr Brown says: “Compared to conventional CNC machines, we estimate our INTEGREX machines achieve savings of between 25-30% in production times, thereby increasing the company’s overall machining capacity. As a result we can offer our customers a variety of machining options, from one off prototypes to larger batch orders, in a range of different materials.”

Busche is working with several potential customers to bring work to the company,New and used laundry and Dry cleaning machine sales, service and installation. as well as planning to add machining equipment. One shipment of new equipment is scheduled to arrive in May, and more equipment is slated to be added in September. “The equipment allows us to grow, add jobs and support a larger range of customers,” Jones said.

Since Busche took over the facility, it has improved the quality lab by adding an automated gauge, or Coordinate Measurement Machine, and has another CMM scheduled to arrive this week. Other improvements to the facility include the installation of high-efficiency lighting, floor coating and repainting walls and ceilings.