Newbury, Berks-based Progressive Technology has recently invested in a new CMS CNC machine tool – and a new composite facility which is set to give them extra capabilities. It’s all about progress as Composites in Manufacturing hears more from Progressive Technology’s managing director for Advanced Materials, Rob West.
Growth has become synonymous with the Progressive Technology Group for many years now and Progressive Advanced Materials is no different. With the expansion into providing composite components back in 2020, the company says it can now offer a fully integrated service to its customers - from design to fully finished components.
With strategic investment into new equipment and facilities to cope with the customer demand, including CNC machines and a dedicated finishing facility, there have also been new appointments within the organisation, notably quality management, project management and design, as well as key leadership positions to ensure the day-to-day running of the business is running efficiently.
Q) Firstly, tell me more about your new composites facility and the new capabilities you need to satisfy your customer demands?
Our composites facility, which has been up and running for 24 months now, has expanded our capability to providing fully-finished carbon components. We have three autoclaves onsite, clean rooms, freezer storage room, kit cutting equipment, a bespoke bond preparation room, as well as an onsite training room to develop and nurture talented individuals looking to start a career in composites. All this equipment and technology is in conjunction with our pattern making facility, which has recently seen additional investment in CNC equipment.
Q) Why did you select CMS as a supplier and what is your CMS CNC machining centre mainly used for?
CMS has been a long-term supplier of choice for us at Progressive Advanced Materials. With five machines onsite, working almost entirely on patterns for our customers and in-house process, these machines offer the capability and quality needed to meet our customer specific needs.
The support and service for breakdowns is always first class and we can always rely on the team from CMS to react in a manner that aligns to the way we operate with our customers.
Q) How happy are you with the CMS machine tool’s performance?
Since 2014, we have continued to invest solely in CMS machines for pattern machining, and this has largely been due to the excellent reliability, service and support which is offered. This reliable service aligns to some of our core values. The CMS team provided a first-class service throughout the process of purchasing and installation. The professionalism of the engineers onsite provides us the confidence that the equipment will meet our expectations.
Q) Overall, what kinds of productivity benefits have you derived from the implementation and use of CMS machines?
Having continuity and standardisation of the five CMS machines we have onsite can be extremely useful for a few reasons. Where we see the most benefit is the interchangeability of those systems relative to one another and the fact that having standardised machines and machine setup reduces downtime.
Q) What are the types of performance demands placed on your company by today’s customers?
Our core customer is motorsport and automotive. This positions us at the fast turnaround, high quality end of the market which ultimately requires total flexibility and commitment to meeting customer demand. Our team already has a strong background in this market sector. Therefore, we are fortunate that they have an open mindset and dedication to achieving what others might see as the impossible. As a business, we operate 24/7 and have multi-skilled individuals that ensure we can react to customer delivery expectations.
Q) And are there any new markets and countries you are looking to explore this year?
The peaks and troughs in our workflow mean there are some opportunities for growth in new market sectors. We feel the next area of interest to us is automotive production work, and hope to solidify ourselves as a supplier of choice in this field soon. This will soon be bolstered with strategic hires to the business who have a comprehensive knowledge of this sector and a strong understanding of what is required to maintain positive and profitable customer relationships.
Q) Are industry tradeshows like JEC, Advanced Engineering and the new ICS still relevant to you?
Tradeshows are important to the industry in providing platforms for consolidating numerous technology providers and customers in one location. We see this as a great opportunity to speak to industry experts and suppliers, as well as meeting multiple customers at a single event.
We have recently exhibited at a few shows, but our core business comes from our ongoing reputation as a high-quality supplier to motorsport and automotive. We find that these tradeshows do a good job in promoting the industry as a whole. However, we don’t see a direct correlation between the tradeshows and sales as such.
Q) Would you say that your long-standing partnerships have brought huge benefits?
We believe that the relationships we have with our customer base is as strong as ever. We have consistently provided a reliable, high-quality product/service and this has resulted in a strong order book for many years. This is also reflected in the growth of the business since 2014. This also works both ways, as our open communication with our suppliers and support network has created a trustworthy network that we can rely on in both the short and long term.
Q) What are the most important assets of a company?
Over the years we have recruited and trained some fantastic individuals which we believe separates us from the competition. Highly skilled, reliable process experts ensure we can manufacture excellent quality components in accelerated timeframes. This is reinforced by a steadfast strategy and industry leading technology equipment. In short, it’s a combination of many factors, probably less so the location, but certainly the experience of the team enables us to meet our customers’ expectations.
Q) What differentiates your company from the competition?
The Progressive Technology Group provides a single source engineering solution for CNC, composite, and additive manufactured components. Having a variety of industry leading technologies in our facilities in Newbury makes it possible for us to solve complex manufacturing challenges without having to rely on complex supply chains where lead-time, cost, and quality are all more difficult to control.
Something extremely rare within engineering businesses now is our onsite training facilities. With three full-time trainers and a dedicated facility for training, we can offer a fantastic opportunity for enthusiastic individuals looking for a career in engineering. This is further supported by our composite-specific training which takes place in our state-of-the-art Advanced Materials facility.
Q) Finally, where next for your company?
Progressive Advanced Materials will continue to expand to our customers’ demands, whilst striving to improve efficiencies in manufacturing. Currently split across multiple satellite sites in Newbury, we hope to begin relocating to a more centralised site where all operations can take place under one roof.
