Precision Press raises the bar
‘Applying protective coatings to metal is nothing new, but the way we do it is,’ says Simon Ledgerwood, managing director of Cape-based Precision Press, manufacturers of a variety of safety-critical automotive components. ‘We’ve installed the most sophisticated sequential indexing coating line in South Africa and we’re the only local automotive component manufacturer to offer this service from the same premises that the products are manufactured.’
Zinc-nickel coatings offer some of the highest protection barriers to corrosion – particularly for items that are exposed to high-heat zones, such as engine compartments. In an accelerated salt-spray test chamber, this type of coating typically offers 240 hours of protection to white rust and 720 hours to red rust. In Precision Press’s case, the consistent quality achieved by the fully automated system, together with additional organic sealer, extends the protective life to well in excess of 1 000 hours in the test chamber.
‘The inclusion of onsite protective coating has significant advantages for tier-one component and original equipment manufacturers,’ says Ledgerwood. ‘It cuts out an entire logistics exercise where parts were shipped offsite for processing, meaning often there would be a load on its way to the plater, a load at the plater and another on the way back. In addition, quality control of the plating process was largely out of our control yet we were accountable for the finished product – clearly not a desirable situation.’
A relative newcomer to the automotive component scene, Precision Press opened its doors in 2004. It has quickly established itself as a manufacturer of the highest calibre and has enjoyed a meteoric 30% annual growth in an industry that, at times, has gone through severe production cutbacks and pressure from off-shore component suppliers.
‘From the outset we understood there were three criteria that would govern our success and we continually measure ourselves against them to this day: our need to innovate through the use of technology; to maintain and even exceed the global benchmarks for quality that we have been accredited; and to ensure good old-fashioned customer service,’ concludes Ledgerwood.
The installation and equipping of the coating line together with onsite quality control laboratory and robotic welding cells represents an investment in excess of R5million. In addition a number of new jobs have been created with several staff members sent for technical training on SA Metal Finishing Association-approved courses.
Process engineer Ryan Williams (left) and Precision Press managing director Simon Ledgerwood inspect a component from the coating line, the first of its kind to be installed onsite at the manufacturer of automotive components in South Africa.