US firm awards CNC retrofit contract to HNC

UK Pratt and Whitney has awarded a GBP 980,000 rebuild and CNC retrofit contract to HNC in the UK, for refurbishing six large machine tools to be used in China.

Halifax Numerical Controls (HNC) has won, against fierce international competition from companies in the USA, Sweden and Holland, a GBP 980,000 contract from aero engine builder Pratt and Whitney, USA, to rebuild six large machine tools and retrofit them with new CNC systems.

Directors at HNC (Halifax Numerical Controls), Mike Diskin and Tim Price, said it was the largest ever order won by the company so far.

Pratt and Whitney (P and W) was looking for machines for a new venture in China.

It initially looked at buying new but considered good quality rebuilt ones as better value.

P and W bought the assets of the now defunct Volvo aero engine maintenance factory in Stockholm, Sweden.

The deal included a number of quality machine tools, as follows.

* Two Dorries and one Schiess vertical turning lathes.

* A VAES vertical grinder.

* A Union 5-axis horizontal borer.

* A Deckel FP6 machining centre.

P and W then searched through Europe and the US for a company capable of refurbishing them.

HNC got the job and said that all machines will have new electrics fitted throughout and retrofitted with the latest GE-Fanuc Oi controllers, servos and drives.

HNC managing director, Mike Diskin, said: "it has been something of a tense time for us over the past couple of months, we knew it was going to be tough, but we won through in the end".

He added: "We believe we won the order because of our reputation for service and the quality we build into all re-manufactured machines, combined with our vast in-house CNC knowledge and competitive pricing".

HNC has already begun the work, which has to be completed within a tight schedule and delivered by November 2008.

HNC will fully test, export pack and dispatch the machines to Pratt and Whitney's Chinese joint venture company - Pratt and Whitney Shanghai Aircraft Engine Maintenance Co HNC personnel will install and commission the machine tools.

* About HNC - HNC specialises in the rebuild and refurbishment of quality machine tools with many major customers for example, they include Cummins, Gardener Aerospace, De Smet Group and the Weir Group.

In addition to being main distributors and retrofitters for major control system manufacturers GE-Fanuc, Heidenhain, Siemens and NUM, HNC also has full machine tool design and bespoke software writing capabilities.