When it comes to engineering job shops, there’s only one thing that matters: “It’s all about shifting metal,” says Gavin Lee, Works Manager at Oldbury-based mould, tool and pattern manufacturer, Narvik Developments Ltd. “The quicker you can get the job finished, the better.”
Speed is certainly of the essence for Narvik, with the company enjoying a packed order book of customers from across the automotive, aerospace and general subcontract markets.
“We’re turning over jobs roughly every two months at the moment, so there is a lot of variety,” Gavin continues.
Over the past 30 years the company has built up a strong reputation for the remanufacture of press tools and has made significant infrastructure investments to handle workpieces of up to 10 tonnes, with two machine shops running simultaneously on site.
Given Narvik’s strong pipeline, the support of its wider supply chain is of critical importance. “With the pace we are working at, we need our suppliers to be on the ball and help us overcome any challenges as quickly as possible,” adds Gavin.
One partnership that has become increasingly important to Narvik is its metalworking, safety and MRO supplier, MSC Industrial Supply Co. UK. Having initially started out supplying consumables such as safety boots and ground flat stock in 2022, the company has quickly become a critical tooling partner for Narvik’s fleet of 11 metal working machine tools.
“I’ve got a great relationship with Mark Evans [Territory Account Manager for MSC] – I know I can share a machining challenge with him and he will come back with the right tools to get the job done. Given we’re just round the corner from the MSC trade counter, sometimes he will even drop it round himself,” Gavin continues. “Even if we are machining something really challenging, MSC will put me in contact with the right supplier to get the job done.”
As a job shop with a high mix of workpieces and regular tool changes, Narvik’s diverse tooling challenges proved particularly interesting to MSC and the company quickly became a test site for the launch of MSC Edge: a new brand of multipurpose cutting tool designed by MSC engineers, for engineers.
Over the course of several weeks, MSC’s engineering team conducted a broad range of trials across different materials and tool paths to help find the ideal tooling solution for Gavin and his team. The project also proved a critical data gathering exercise ahead of the launch of MSC Edge.
Following the completion of the trials, Narvik was supplied with a series of solid carbide holemaking and milling tools, which Gavin and his team have already put to good use.
“We’ve been completing a mix of profiling and finishing work on aerospace aluminium, which is quite an abrasive material. The tools have been in use for several weeks and have kept their edge, which is great to see – we’ve had no problems at all,” Gavin continues.
“We put it straight into the machine and it was pretty much ‘plug and play’. We didn’t need to change the feeds or speeds; it was a case of putting it in the magazine and pressing go. It more than stands up to the brands we have used previously.”
Mark Evans adds: “The work that Gavin and Narvik are undertaking is reflective of the broader changes we have seen across the precision engineering sector: a move towards more contract work across a variety of different industry sectors.
“While diversification increases the number of potential opportunities, it can very easily also increase tooling costs. After all, the more tools you need, the higher your inventory and the longer it takes to changeover between jobs. Helping engineers like Gavin and his team rationalise their tooling was a critical element in the development of MSC Edge. Ultimately, we want to offer a range of reliable, multi-purpose cutting tools – at the right price – that can do 80% of machining operations with just 20% of the tools typically required.”
The reliability of the MSC Edge tooling echoes the broader partnership between the two companies.
Gavin concludes: “This is what I need from a supplier – the help to get the job done quickly, and to a good standard. Whether that is a piece of advice or a tool, I go back to what I said at the beginning: our work is about shifting metal and getting to a quality finish as quickly as possible. If we can do that day-in, day-out, we have a happy customer base and full order book.”
For more information about MSC Edge, please visit: mscdirect.co.uk/msc-edge.
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