Posted to News on 15th Feb 2021, 00:00
Springing into action saves the day for automotive tier one
William Hughes has come to the aid of a leading automotive seat manufacturer. The order, which was for seat frames and trim wires, comprised a number of different complex parts, all of which would see use in five different vehicles types, including SUVs and saloons.
In addition to bending and forming, several of the frames also required welding. The accuracy demands were such that engineers used 3D scanners and Vernier calipers to ensure the parts precisely matched the customer specifications. “Although we had won the order a few months previously, and had turned round the prototype parts in just four weeks.” explains George Cairns at William Hughes, “the customer hit a scheduling snag, which ended up with us having a very short time period in which to produce the first thousand pieces.”
Very few companies possess the capabilities, skillset and knowledge that would enable such a complex and large design, test, manufacturing and delivery campaign to be achieved in such a short time. “Our customer is de-lighted,” says Cairns. “We were able to deliver 80% of the order a week ahead of schedule, which gave it enough capacity to meet the OEM’s delivery timescales.”
