http://www.brownandholmes.co.uk/news.php Brown & Holmes News en-gb Wed, 10 Mar 2010 00:17:42 +0000 http://www.brownandholmes.co.uk/news.php#newsArticle16 As the sole UK agent for FORKARDT, Brown & Holmes (Tamworth) Ltd has extended its website to include more detailed information on the FORKARDT range plus the high level of installation and support on offer. Visitors to the Brown & Holmes website can now find detailed information on the full selection of FORKARDT standard and special rotary power chucks, expanding mandrels and steady rest packages available. The website now includes information on the technical support and installation services on offer to help with incorporation or retrofitting of any of the components. Kevin Ward, Joint Managing Director of Brown & Holmes (Tamworth) Ltd said: “The changes to our website are designed to reflect the fact that we don’t just supply FORKARDT chucks, we specialise in delivering the right FORKARDT workholding solution for end user requirements. So, as well as providing more in-depth product information, we also wanted to show how we can work with customers to design, machine, deliver and install to their exact specifications and budget.” For nearly 70 years, Brown & Holmes has built its reputation on offering a wide range of quality workholding solutions and reliable precision machining services. For more information, telephone 01827 63591. Wed, 24 Feb 2010 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.brownandholmes.co.uk/news.php#newsArticle16 http://www.brownandholmes.co.uk/news.php#newsArticle14 When two draughtsmen from Coventry went into business together in 1939, little could Mr W. E. Brown and Mr C. Holmes have imagined that, 70 years later, their firm would still be going from strength to strength. These days, Brown & Holmes (Tamworth) Ltd has the very latest CNC machines working side-by-side with conventional toolroom machinery. The company has broadened its products and services over the years to suit the needs of customers and now specialises in the supply of standard and semi-standard CNC Cubes and Tombstones, test rigs, jigs and fixtures, special machines and gauges. The company also offers high precision machining and complex assembly work for the automotive, aerospace, oil and power generation industries. Brown & Holmes has maintained its reputation for design excellence and high accuracy, precision machining and works as a sub-contractor for the three main machine tool builders in the UK, as well as supplying directly to a large number of local, national and international customers. The company is also the sole UK agent for Forkardt workholding standard and special rotary power chucks, expanding mandrels and steady rest packages. Part of the company's success can be attributed to a commitment to training. Many current employees have been with the company since starting work and the firm still takes on apprentices every year. In fact, Carl Baker and Kevin Ward, joint Directors of Brown & Holmes, both started as apprentices with the company back in the 1970's. Kevin Ward said: "As a company, we have survived a World War and two recessions and even in these challenging times we are maintaining our workforce levels. We remain focused on offering our customers the right workholding solution for their needs, on-time and within budget, whether they require an off-the-shelf product or a bespoke solution." Thu, 01 Oct 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.brownandholmes.co.uk/news.php#newsArticle14 http://www.brownandholmes.co.uk/news.php#newsArticle13 Brown & Holmes will be exhibiting its precision machining expertise, alongside its range of standard and semi-standard CNC Cubes and Tombstones, test rigs, jigs and fixtures, special machines and checking gauges at Manufacturing Technology Ireland 09 in October. Visitors to stand No 212 will see examples of how Brown & Holmes specialises in designing and manufacturing a wide range of tooling and sub-contract machined parts for customers within the automotive, aerospace, oil and power generation industries. On display will also be the extensive Forkardt workholding range of standard and special rotary power chucks, expanding mandrels and steady rest packages, which is only available in Ireland from Brown & Holmes. Fri, 18 Sep 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.brownandholmes.co.uk/news.php#newsArticle13 http://www.brownandholmes.co.uk/news.php#newsArticle12 UK manufacturing company Brown and Holmes (Tamworth) is set to save £18,000 per year following the installation of a range of technologies that were sourced at the 2008 Energy Event. The technologies in question were recommended to Brown and Holmes (Tamworth) as part of an energy conservation proposal supplied by Carbon Control Limited, a nationwide solution provider in the energy conservation field, and covers heating, lighting, compressed air and voltage optimisation. Carbon Control managing director, Andrew Fletcher, and his team are regular visitors to The Energy Event having attended for the past three years. With his company's aim of permanently reducing energy use and CO2 emissions for its clients Andrew finds the event, which in 2009 will take place on 9th and 10th September, to be the perfect mix of the latest technology and service providers. "I have a plan of the companies that I want to see and can do so at the Motorcycle Museum, Birmingham without embarking on an orienteering exercise." A main focus of attention for Andrew in 2008, with the challenges that were facing Brown and Holmes (Tamworth) very much in mind, was to find a company which could work alongside Carbon Control Limited in understanding compressed air and was able to identify savings and propose solutions. Atlas Copco Compressors, a long-standing exhibitor at The Energy Event, was present again in 2008 and it was here that the two parties embarked upon initial discussions. Andrew Fletcher says, "We had been looking for a long time for a compressed air specialist to work with. The knowledge of the companies we had spoken to previously or their reliability had seriously underwhelmed us but Atlas Copco was able to support us with everything we need in terms of technical expertise, air survey experience, infrastructure and superior products." Atlas Copco conducted a full compressed air survey at Brown and Holmes Tamworth site which included monitoring the compressed air consumption over a seven day period. Ian Ashcroft, of Atlas Copco's Air Audit Team said, "We were then able to produce a report which, through empirical data, demonstrated the opportunity to reduce compressed air use on the site by 65% through replacing the current oversized compressors with a Variable Speed Drive machine and other, smaller capacity units, by implementing time scheduling and by reducing the system operating pressure." Following the energy conservation proposal Brown and Holmes has invested £47,000 across a whole range of measures including replacement lighting throughout the factory; voltage optimisation and heating system control. This investment is being funded through an interest free loan secured for the manufacturer with the help of Carbon Control via the Carbon Trust. Speaking about the project Kevin Ward, Director, Brown and Holmes (Tamworth) commented, "Accessing such affordable credit is even more important in the current recession and the 30 month payback period on the equipment will provide us with the competitive edge we need to move forward. It is clear from our work with Carbon Control Limited that The Energy Event is highly important for those companies looking to source a wide range of energy conservation products and services." Thu, 11 Jun 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.brownandholmes.co.uk/news.php#newsArticle12 http://www.brownandholmes.co.uk/news.php#newsArticle11 Brown & Holmes has signed up to the 21st Century Supply Chains accreditation (SC21) change programme. This UK initiative, endorsed by the SBAC and MAA, is designed to transform the UK Defence and Aerospace industry standards. Brown & Holmes designs and manufactures a wide range of tooling and sub-contract machined parts for the Aerospace industry. Joint Director of Brown & Holmes, Kevin Ward, commented: "We believe that signing up to this programme demonstrates our commitment to accelerating our levels of competitiveness and raising the overall performance of our company within this sector". For nearly 70 years, Brown & Holmes has built its reputation on offering a wide range of quality workholding solutions and reliable precision machining services. Brown & Holmes is also the sole UK agent for Forkardt workholding standard and special rotary power chucks, expanding mandrels and steady rest packages. For more information on Brown & Holmes, visit www.brownandholmes.co.uk or telephone 01827 63591. Thu, 14 May 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.brownandholmes.co.uk/news.php#newsArticle11 http://www.brownandholmes.co.uk/news.php#newsArticle10 Brown & Holmes has just invested in two brand new vertical machining centres for its precision machining workshop. As well as offering complete workholding solutions, Brown & Holmes also offers a bespoke, precision machining service. The new machines, which were delivered in January, will help Brown & Holmes improve flexibility, machining speeds and accuracy on both one-off component projects and batch production parts. Kevin Ward, Joint Director of Brown & Holmes, said: "We believe it is vital to continue investing in the business, despite the current economic climate, to ensure we offer the best possible service and support to our customers." For nearly 70 years, Brown & Holmes has built its reputation on offering a wide range of quality workholding solutions and reliable precision machining services. Brown & Holmes is also the sole UK agent for Forkardt workholding standard and special rotary power chucks, expanding mandrels and steady rest packages. Mon, 16 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.brownandholmes.co.uk/news.php#newsArticle10 http://www.brownandholmes.co.uk/news.php#newsArticle9 On Thursday 5th February, Graham Baker retired from Brown & Holmes after nearly 50 years of service. Graham joined Brown & Holmes in August 1959, completed an indentured apprenticeship and gained engineering awards at the local college. As a key member of the workforce, Graham spent the majority of his time with the company in the main assembly and inspection department producing high quality fixturing and gauging. A presentation in honour of his retirement was held at the company, where Graham and his wife Janet were presented with gifts from both the company and his fellow employees. Joint Director of Brown & Holmes, Kevin Ward commented: "As much as we are pleased for Graham today and recognise his marvellous achievement, it is also a sad day for us in that we will miss Grahams' presence and personality around the workshop. The skills and knowledge he has acquired are irreplaceable in this day and age." We wish him a long and happy retirement: he has definitely earned it. Thu, 05 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.brownandholmes.co.uk/news.php#newsArticle9 http://www.brownandholmes.co.uk/news.php#newsArticle8 Brown & Holmes has been awarded a carbon trust loan to upgrade its facilities and reduce its impact on the environment. Working with the carbon trust, Brown & Holmes will replace its current lighting and heating facilities with energy friendly alternatives to reduce both its consumption of energy and total emissions. For nearly 70 years, Brown & Holmes has built its reputation on offering a wide range of quality workholding solutions and reliable precision machining services. Brown & Holmes is also the sole UK agent for Forkardt workholding standard and special rotary power chucks, expanding mandrels and steady rest packages. Wed, 04 Mar 2009 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.brownandholmes.co.uk/news.php#newsArticle8 http://www.brownandholmes.co.uk/news.php#newsArticle4 Brown & Holmes has launched a new brochure and website as part of a new marketing drive designed to boost awareness within the UK and on an international basis. The brochure has been re-designed to reflect the wide range of workholding products and services that the company now offers. The Brown & Holmes website has also been re-launched with an improved structure, new look and new content; all designed to make the site more user-friendly and informative. While the information on the site has been updated and expanded, navigation around the site has also been greatly simplified. Both marketing tools have been redesigned to more effectively showcase the vast Brown & Holmes range of workholding products services, including its sole UK agency agreement for the supply of Forkhardt workholding standard and special rotary power chucks, expanding mandrels and steady rest packages. The revamped brochure and website also contain more detailed information on the design, manufacturing, support and installation services offered by this Tamworth-based company. Carl Baker, Brown & Holmes Director, said: "We receive enquiries from customers throughout the world and we know that our website and brochure are key sales tools so we wanted to make sure they were as up-to-date and customer-friendly as possible." Mon, 27 Oct 2008 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.brownandholmes.co.uk/news.php#newsArticle4 http://www.brownandholmes.co.uk/news.php#newsArticle3 Brown & Holmes has invested in the latest solid modelling software for its in-house design team as part of an upgrade of its hardware and systems. The company has also recently updated its CAM package for CNC manufacture and inspection. This is just part of Brown and Holmes' ongoing upgrade of hardware and systems which will also include a new server and workstations with enhanced auto back-up facilities. Fri, 24 Oct 2008 00:00:00 +0000 http://www.brownandholmes.co.uk/news.php#newsArticle3