Wired for an even faster response

When customers can lose up to £150,000 for every hour of production line downtime, there’s no margin for delay. At Dransfields Engineering Services, speed and quality have always been central to the company’s success and that of its customers. Now, the Oldham-headquartered engineering specialist is taking this ethos a step further by bringing wire EDM in-house with a high-performance Excetek V650G Plus supplied by Warwick Machine Tools.

Established in 1928, family-owned Dransfields has evolved from serving the local textile industry into a highly responsive precision engineering business supporting manufacturers across sectors that include food, printing, packaging, pharmaceuticals, aviation and automotive among others. Operating from four sites (Oldham, Trafford Park, Bradford and Rotherham) and providing a fully manned 24/7 service (Oldham facility), the company specialises in reverse-engineering breakdown support, producing replacement or repaired components to keep the production lines of its nationwide customers moving.

“We address issues with any machined or fabricated machine parts,” points out Operations Manager Chris Broadhurst. “Customers reach out to us for a very quick, high-quality response in breakdown or maintenance situations.”

Until recently, Dransfields had to outsource from third-party suppliers when a critical component required wire EDM. That pinch-point provided the prompt to bring this advanced process in-house.

In house, in hand

“We undertook a review of the wire EDM work we were sending out,” reveals Chris. “As we offer customers a 24/7 rapid turnaround service, we strive to be as efficient and self-reliant as possible.”

The need was particularly clear for component features that are difficult or impossible to produce efficiently using conventional milling, such as sharp internal corners or square bores.

“Wire EDM gives us another avenue of options,” comments Shop-Floor Manager Adam Eyres. “It’s provided a new perspective on how to approach certain jobs.”

The easy option

Dransfields researched both machines and suppliers, with the Excetek V650G Plus from Warwick Machine Tools quickly emerging as the preferred choice.

Ease of use was crucial in the purchase decision, particularly given the varied, low-volume nature of the work at Dransfields. The company typically produces one-off components or batch sizes up to 10, meaning frequent changeovers and a requirement for straightforward programming.

“We were impressed by how easy it was to operate and program the Excetek V650G Plus,” remarks Adam. “The modern control has a very intuitive layout; it’s quick to find menus and functions.”

The machine’s cutting speed also came as a pleasant surprise.

“Before the investment, we were dubious about how long it would take to machine parts and features using wire EDM,” admits Chris. “We imagined it might take three or four times longer than milling. In reality, wire EDM isn’t as far from milling as we first thought.”

Adam agrees: “It’s almost as quick. That gives us the option to do less milling work and more wire EDM work. Wire EDM is a very stable process, especially with the Excetek’s automatic wire threading capability, which is excellent. We can walk away and get on with other jobs, whereas with milling, there’s always the potential to damage a cutter or an insert. As a process, milling requires closer monitoring.”

He adds: “The machine also provides several power management features, so hopefully it will prove efficient to run.”

Excetek V-series machines features a new-generation energy-saving circuit where a sink energy recovery system and high-speed discharge pulses reduce power consumption by around 35% and boost machining speed by circa 25%. According to Excetek internal processing data, users can save around 8,708 kWh of electricity and 4,310 kg of carbon emissions per annum. This is based on 250 working days a year, two eight-hour shifts per day, and 70% machine utilisation rate.

Cutting lead times down to size

Installed in July 2026, the Excetek V650G Plus has already made a substantial impact. Jobs previously outsourced with typical turnaround times of one to two weeks can now be completed internally in as little as one to two days.

According to Chris, “the machine’s diversity and flexibility, without being over complicated, is a real strong point. We feel like we can put anything on the Excetek.”

Adds Adam: “Thanks to the precision of wire EDM, we no longer have to struggle trying to hit tolerances with milling; changing offsets and so on. We simply set up a workpiece on the Excetek and, following a roughing pass and a finishing pass, it’s within 10 microns. There’s no tool wear or cutter deflection to contend with.”

Following two training sessions with Warwick Machine Tools, the Dransfields team can program directly on the machine or use the Excetek’s optional MacroWire CAD/CAM software to program directly from an imported DXF file. MacroWire also provides the ability to draw using simple CAD features and is a very easy way to produce programs on the machine.

Support from Warwick Machine Tools has also proved important as the company gets to grips with its new technology.

“We get a response from the applications team at Warwick within the hour, which is brilliant. Support is as big as anything when we buy a new machine, particularly with us running 24/7.”

Adds Chris: ““The whole process with Warwick Machine Tools has been absolutely seamless. With the machine in stock, we were able to move very quickly. In three to four weeks, we were installed, trained and up and running. Absolutely fantastic. We can’t fault them.”

Investment keeps moving

A rapid return on investment through reduced subcontracting costs is expected, but Dransfields isn’t viewing the Excetek machine purely through the lens of payback.

“While we estimate ROI will be fast, for us, a rapid return is just a bonus, never a main goal,” declares Chris. “Far more important is introducing a new technology and capability that will help us better serve our customers.”

That philosophy has served Dransfields well for almost a century. Continual reinvestment has seen the company evolve from a traditional engineering workshop into a high-technology enterprise. What’s more, its 24/7 service model continues to provide differentiation in a market where OEM replacement parts can sometimes carry lead times of 12 to 14 weeks.

And the investment journey is unlikely to stop here. With recruitment challenges continuing across manufacturing, Dransfields is already looking towards automation as another way of increasing capacity while making better use of its existing workforce.

“The Excetek V650G Plus is our latest example of that philosophy. In the near future, there will likely be investments in higher levels of automation. We’ve already opened a dialogue with Warwick Machine Tools on this topic.”

For a company approaching its centenary, that willingness to keep evolving and improving on a continuous basis might just prove the most important investment of all.