£2-million press investment for SDE Technology

A UK pressing and assemblies specialist has invested more than £2 million in acquiring its largest ever progression press. SDE Technology has installed the 1000-tonne Chin Fong press and coil-handling line at its Brixton Way factory in Shrewsbury, an installation that will allow larger die usage and help to create larger products for use in the automotive sector.

The press, which has a bed size of 4.5m x 1.8m, has capacity for over £2 million of new revenue, with the management team already in discussions with larger OEMs and Tier 1s searching for security of supply and opportunities to de-risk the supply chain. Eight new jobs have been created and many have been safeguarded, said the company, because of the investment.

“This is our largest ever progression press and one of the largest in the UK automotive supply chain,” explained Richard Homden, Managing Director, SDE Technology. “It is a fantastic time to invest in this new capability. Yes, there are current headwinds, but for the bold there are also opportunities, with lots of reshoring, electrification and carbon reduction projects currently being discussed. The £2-million investment will be a game-changer for our business and the West Midlands as a whole.”

SDE Technology is one of the largest manufacturers of pressings and assemblies in the UK, employing more than 130 people across its core production business and at Salop Haulage Ltd. The company has overcome tough trading conditions, the pandemic, chip shortages and energy costs to secure several new opportunities in the automotive sector and is now planning on maximising its latest Hot Form Quench (HFQ®) process.

“This is a revolutionary hot forming process for producing high strength aluminium parts for use in the automotive, aerospace and renewable sectors and gives designers the freedom to create parts that offer significant weight savings, yet still deliver higher structural strength. It also delivers improved formability in six and seven thousand series alloys that cannot be formed cold. In some instances, it can also reduce the part counts from multiple components to just one,” explained the manufacturer.

Chris Greenough, Commercial Director, SDE Technology, concluded: “The Chin Fong investment comes off the back of two earlier press installations, offering 100- and 200-tonne capabilities. These have been put in initially to deliver pressings for the white goods industry, but they could also be used to support other tooling projects going forward.”