MTI expands with the help of Matchmaker VMCs

, but this has allowed it to expand its manufacturing operations into areas that on their own may not be a viable proposition in the UK. Chairman and managing Director Bill Costello (pictured) is quite forthright in his view of machining parts for the aerospace and defence industries that make up 85% of MTI's turnover: “Customers do not and will not source machined parts in the UK without some form of added value. This is why the salt bath dip brazing process that we provide in the manufacture of Electronic Chassis and Liquid Cooled Cold Plates for aircraft and military applications has played such a vital role in our success.” The capacity for salt bath brazing gives MTI some distinct commercial advantages as it is one of only a handful of companies in the world that has this expertise. The process allows delicate and complex assemblies to be brazed together without the risk of distortion that may occur if localised, traditional welding methods were used. However, it does come at a cost, which also acts as a barrier to competitors entering the market. “With an electricity bill of around £2,000 per week just to keep the salt bath molten, and the high level of manual input and knowledge required to run the process to its optimum performance we are protected, to a certain degree, from the threat of competition, which has also allowed us to expand other areas of our business.” That success has seen the Watford-based business grow, with the recent development of its second machining facility in Kings Langley, which will focus on the machining of components for customers in the commercial aircraft sector. One particular contract that this facility is currently busy with is the production of 10 aircraft sets per month of assemblies for the wing de-icing system on the Boeing Dreamliner. To achieve this MTI has installed five Matchmaker vertical machining centres, from Leatherhead-based Matchmaker CNC, to add to the 11 machining centres already in place at its Watford facility.  The company prefers the versatility and cost-effectiveness of vertical machining centres and the Matchmakers suit their needs perfectly. “We obviously had the choice when we were equipping our machine shop, and some would suggest that the type and volume of components we machine are more suited to horizontal or five axis machines with pallet loading. Machining to us is a means to an end that allows us to effectively create products that package and cool electronics across a range of applications. Therefore, economics became the driver for our machine tool purchases and we can buy four or five Matchmaker verticals for the price of a single horizontal machine. By fully utilising the capabilities and versatility of the stand-alone Matchmaker vertical machining centres we are maximising the available floorspace and generating good value and performance,” says Costello. “Throughout our time using Matchmaker machines we have received excellent service and support from Matchmaker CNC, this includes occasional visits by applications engineers to help with some of the more complex components we machine.” The results speak for themselves and AS9100 Rev C approved MTI currently has a forward order book of over £4 million with 30% of what is produced being exported. Current work includes a recent order worth €1 million to supply liquid cooled cold plates for the upgrade of the French Dassault Mirage Fighter. The cold plates form part the aircraft's EW System and MTI's involvement is to manufacture and supply cold plates to equip 60 Aircraft. The end user for the aircraft is the Indian Airforce. Costello is also proud of a contract for the F16 Hornet, which is the US Navy's Carrier Jet Aircraft, MTI supply a dip brazed amplifier housings used in the aircrafts radar system. “The original supplier in the USA had a 50 per cent reject rate on these parts, we are achieving 100% acceptance, which is extremely satisfying.” With a customer-base that contains some major UK and global businesses, MTI is confident that its growth will continue, and is currently developing a third manufacturing facility to house the brazing and sheetmetal departments. This will allow the company to grow by an additional 30% over the next three years. As much of this growth is expected to come from the USA it is also opening a sales office on America's west coast. “We have worked with MTI for many years and watched as the business has developed,” says Colin Donhue, director, Matchmaker CNC. “It has been fascinating to see how a company, whose core business isn't machining, has approached this aspect of its operation. The choice to go down the Matchmaker vertical machining centre route has proved to be highly intuitive for MTI, as the additional capacity and flexibility that these machines have given them.    www.matchmakermc.co.uk