Opus international products
When premium automotive component manufacturer Opus International Products decided to bring its machining in-house, it chose Haas Automation to provide its machine tools.
Opus International Products, based in Leamington Spa, first gained its reputation in the automotive world primarily designing moulds and making plastic parts for prestige supercars and other low volume vehicle applications.
Its customers include the likes of Lotus Continental, and JLR Special Vehicles Operations, and around 90% of its work is involved with the automotive sector where it offers design, prototype development, production and manufacturing services. Many of the components it produces involve complex designs with requirements well above standard industry tolerances.
Growth in recent years has been significant, due in part to its decision to extend its manufacturing to metal part production with the acquisition of CNC machine tools from Haas Automation.
Technical manager at the company, Jack Siddall says the move was initially spurred by the COVID pandemic and a demand from customers to seek a more local and flexible supply chain.
“We had been outsourcing all CNC machining work, including the machining of castings, but we began to realise that there was an opportunity for us to do this work ourselves and bring it in-house,” he explains. “It gives us much more control of the entire process, including cost, timing and especially quality. For example, if we make an assembly in-house, we can be in full control of material sourcing, lead-time and also closely control the quality levels. If anything needs to be changed by our customer at the last minute, we can respond very quickly.
“Our customers also like the fact that we are located nearby. They don’t have to wait weeks to resolve a problem, which might be the case when dealing with an overseas supplier. They can easily come to our site for meetings, see their parts being made, discuss the machining: tooling, cutting data etc. and quickly request alterations. They really value that flexible and proactive approach that we provide.”
Opus had a number of reasons which tipped the balance when it came to choosing Haas as its machine tool supplier. Bearing in mind this was a significant investment for a company that up to that point did not have a huge amount of experience when it came to operating and programming CNC machines.
“Firstly, it was important that the machines were immediately available as we wanted to get them installed quickly, says Mr Siddall. “Another factor was servicing and support. Because of the calibre of our customers and the critical nature of not affecting a vehicle build, we can’t afford for a machine to be down for any length of time. We have to have a quick response to get them up and running again, and we’d heard good reports about Haas.
“Another factor for us in choosing Haas was that the CAD software that we use is Autodesk Fusion and Autodesk and Haas have partnered to streamline and integrate the process from CAD/CAM to CNC machining. As we were familiar with Fusion, we felt there would be a smoother transition for us when it came to programming the machines. And because the Haas engineering team and advisors are trained to use Fusion, we can always easily get advice about any questions we have.”
Mr Siddall also praises features such as Haas’ in cycle Renishaw probing (WIPS) and automatic tool presetter (ATP) that both simplify and speed up production and provide a greater level of accuracy at every stage of manufacturing.
More mills and lathes
Opus began with a single Haas 3-axis machine but demand from its customers meant it soon had to increase capacity and capability. The company now has seven Haas machines on its shopfloor: a VF-2SS vertical mill, a VF-6, two 5-axis UMC-750s, a DS-30Y twin spindle Y-axis lathe and two 5-axis machining centres with Haas’ Pallet Pool automated loading systems, a UMC-500SS with a 70 tool carousel, and another UMC-750.
According to Mr Siddall the introduction of the Pallet Pool systems has had significant benefits for Opus including a move to much longer periods of lights-out production.
“It has totally transformed our workflow,” he enthuses. “Demand was increasing and I was having to come in at weekends, so we needed an automated solution to keep up. With the Pallet Pool we can schedule shorter jobs during the day and longer ones with higher torque demand, like cutting steel, in the evening when energy costs are lower.
“It also means we can run non-stop over an entire weekend. On a Friday afternoon our operators fill the Pallet Pool with the selected jobs and return on Monday to find they have been completed or are sometimes still being machined. Essentially it means that jobs that would have taken an entire working week can be done in two days.
“Additionally, because the Pallet Pool is completely integrated with the Haas control, it’s very easy to set up. You can select a programme with a touch of a few buttons and press start; there’s no complicated robotic programming.”
A camera system on the machines also ensures spindles keep turning. If a tool breaks or becomes worn, the Pallet Pool automatically moves on to the next job that does not require that tooling.
The apex of aftersales
Undoubtedly the relationship between Opus and Haas has been a productive one. Mr Siddall has been very impressed by the machine tool company’s approach both in terms of sales and service.
“In my opinion they have been exceptional,” he affirms. “Their advice has been impartial, and their attention to detail is superb whether it’s sales, engineering services or spare parts. The Haas engineers who I contact on the phone have been really helpful. They are all very well trained with practical experience and know the machines so well; they can always respond to my questions.
“Likewise, when Ryan Smith the sales manager visits and I mention an issue, he’ll often solve it there and then. I don’t have to contact a support engineer. It demonstrates the deep knowledge all the people we deal with at Haas have about their machines. It’s not just a sales pitch, they really do understand their products thoroughly.”
Walking around Opus and its new facilities – which it only moved into earlier this year – it’s encouraging to see a forward-looking company that seems ideally equipped, both in terms of its staff and machinery, to be at the forefront of developing new vehicle technologies such as EVs and Hydrogen powertrains at a time when a transformation in automotive transport is occurring.
“We like to think of ourselves as a very agile supplier,” Mr Siddal asserts. “We have created an environment where our engineers like to take on a challenge, and that has benefitted our customers too. It’s a highly collaborative approach.
“Our customers also want their suppliers to be more sustainable, which is something we are very aware of. It is driving change throughout the entire industry, including companies like us in the supply chain. And of course, we are also seeing the transition in the types of powertrains that our customers are developing. When we first installed our CNC machines the emphasis was still mainly on internal combustion engines; now, electric battery and hydrogen platforms are central to at least 50% of the projects that we do.”
The road ahead
Given the relationship so far it looks like Haas will very much be part of Opus International’s progress in the coming years. The company also aims to expand its capabilities with regards to the industries that it works with.
“At the moment, we are 90% automotive, but we are keen to expand into other sectors including aerospace, defence and space technologies and we see Haas as a long term partner to allowing us to achieve our plans.”
And it seems the sort of customer/supplier relationship Opus has with its clients has been replicated with Haas as its machining technology provider.
“Our customers like dealing with us because our staff are enthusiastic about what they do and are really invested in the outcome, and that applies to how we work with Haas. The association has really thrived since we started using their machines. We could not have grown as a company without their technology, support and expertise, and they have benefitted from us being one of their customers, working on the sorts of projects that we do and applying the processes that we carry out. It’s not an official partnership, but in many ways, it feels like one,” Mr Siddall concludes.
