General machining subcontractor Woodbrook Precision has experienced pronounced growth thanks to an assertive approach to purchasing machining centres and forward planning, with assistance from its long-term machine tool supplier, Yamazaki Mazak. PES finds out more.

“There’s no such thing as the ‘right time’ for purchasing equipment in general subcontracting,” says Steve Hogg, director at Woodbrook Precision (Woodbrook).

“We get requests for machining work all the time, and when they come in, I want to be able to say we have the capacity and capability to fulfil them, whatever the order might be. Whether that means purchasing new machines to get work, or doing so to meet a customer request, we’re not afraid to take that important step and move forward.”

Established over 30 years ago, Woodbrook is based in Tameside, Greater Manchester and remains a family-run business to this day. Since its founding the company has focused on purchasing new technologies and specialised machinery from multiple tooling and fixture companies in order to foster further expansion.

As a result of this, it now offers a range of precision engineering services alongside tooling products and solutions to a wide array of industries. This includes machining parts from multiple materials, as well as more specialist gear spinning applications, and rack and specialist tool manufacturing.

Key to this ever-growing list of applications and machining capabilities is Woodbrook’s long-term partnership with machine tool manufacturer Yamazaki Mazak UK. Though the company started out in manual machining, it soon embraced machine tool technology with the purchase of a Mazak Quick Turn 10 CNC lathe over three decades ago, and has not looked back since.

“We purchased one Mazak a long time ago and it just went from there,” comments Mr Hogg. “Whenever it’s time to purchase a new machining centre, we’ve looked at other manufacturers, but we always end up staying with Mazak. This is in no small part due to the excellent service we receive, and the fact that when we do purchase a Mazak machining centre, we can be extremely confident in its performance and reliability. Furthermore, their machines are easy to use and program, and offer the level of accuracy and adaptability we require as a general subcontracting firm.”

Read more: Moving on up with more machinery