Shaving Costs

Lister Shearing has a rich history that started when R A Lister & Co used their 42 years of experience in the agricultural industry to develop their first electric shearing machine.

The company has evolved beyond recognition over the last century and the  Gloucestershire business now manufactures clippers, trimmers and handpieces, combs and cutters, blades, machines and drives and accessories. Much of this extensive product portfolio passes through the company’s extensive CNC machining facility that utilises cutting fluids from ROCOL.

Discussing shop floor activities, machine shop manager, Mr Kryspin Skabk says: “We are manufacturing blades for clipping machines that are very well known in the market with the shearing equipment. This starts from the bodies through to the shearing cutters. We forge, laser mark, lap and polish them.”

With CNC machining and grinding on the site, Lister Shearings has enlisted the support of ROCOL for its cutting fluids. Alluding to this, Kryspin says: “Since we moved to ROCOL to supply our coolants, we have got fewer problems with regards to flooding and foaming. It is a much better and more stable coolant and it costs less than the competitors fluid that we used to have. The service is amazing, as we have guys coming on-site and looking after us. They treat the coolant, save us money on disposal, and for me, it’s the best manufacturer of coolant.”

Using ROCOL’s ULTRACUT 320 on its CNC machining and grinding centres, Kryspin says: “This is a huge advantage from the perspective of having just one type of coolant. This makes it easier for operators to know what coolant is going into the machine and we don’t have to supply different coolants that could cause problems from the purchasing department through to the people who are responsible for maintaining the machines. It is a really good coolant for grinding and milling.” 

Highlighting the changeover process from a previous coolant supplier, Kryspin says: “We went through a long learning curve and it took us some time to do it, but ROCOL never gave up on the process. It probably took us 12 months to set it all up, but with huge thanks to ROCOL and with their patience, we have got through that process and we are a very happy customer.”

The impressive results derived from the extensive implementation process are a credit to not only the engineering expertise applied by the ROCOL team but also the properties of the ULTRACUT 320 product. ULTRACUT 320 is an extreme pressure long-life semi-synthetic cutting fluid that extends tool life, promotes excellent surface finishes, provides long and predictable sump life, resists foaming, emulsifies tramp oil and inhibits corrosion and staining of components. Furthermore, ULTRACUT 320 can be applied to a diverse range of applications as it is suitable for both cutting and grinding machines and it can be used with a wide range of ferrous and non-ferrous materials.