Kennet Aviation

2/12/2020
  • Vertical Machining Centre
  • CNC Turning Centre

 

 

Customer Profile

A leading restorer of vintage aeroplanes has increased its capacity and ability to produce challenging bespoke parts by investing in a new turning centre from Yamazaki Mazak.

Kennet Aviation specialises in the renovation and servicing of historic aeroplanes, including Supermarine Seafires used in World War II, to the stringent standards required by the Civil Aviation Authority (CAA) – the UK’s specialist aviation regulator.

 

Vintage Aeroplane Restorer Soars with Mazak 

“Existing components for these older aeroplanes can be very hard to find...  As we may only require very small batches, requesting parts from general subcontractors can be expensive and result in long lead times. We therefore decided to invest in a high-quality CNC machine tools to manufacture parts, so we could bring selection, quality control, and timing in-house."

Tim Manna, Director, Kennet Aviation

Machine Choice

With the aim of enhancing in-house manufacturing capacity and growing its existing business, the company has invested in a state-of-the-art Mazak QUICK TURN 250MSY CNC turning centre.

The new machine, which was built in the UK at the company’s Worcester-based European Manufacturing plant, has enabled Kennet Aviation to quickly produce high-accuracy, bespoke aircraft components, and significantly reduced the time taken to restore the aircraft.

The investment has also opened up new business opportunities for Kennet Aviation by enabling the company to subcontract its capability to manufacture rare parts for vintage aircraft restorers and collectors worldwide.

Tim Manna, Director at Kennet Aviation, comments: “Existing components for these older aeroplanes can be very rare, hard to find, and often not available anywhere.  As we may only require very small batches, requesting parts from general subcontractors can be expensive and result in long lead times. We therefore decided to invest in high-quality CNC machine tools to manufacture parts at Kennet, so we could bring selection, quality control, and timing in-house."

Improvement To Productivity

“Mazak provided a brilliant service, and we have been very impressed with how quickly and accurately the QUICK TURN has been able to produce parts. In fact, it has been so successful that we have since invested in a second machine, a VCN-530C vertical milling machine with an additional rotary axis, which arrived in December. Now it is up and running, we have 100 per cent capability to produce any parts we need for aeroplanes and even classic cars, which is a market we’re now making great strides in.”

Alan Mucklow, Managing Director UK & Ireland Sales & Service Division at Yamazaki Mazak, adds: “A nation’s history can be found in its vehicles, so it is fantastic organisations such as Kennet Aviation exist to preserve and protect our aviation heritage."

“We are thrilled to have played our part in helping the company expand its machining capacity and generate new business in its highly specialist field. We are also excited to see how they have used Mazak machinery to expand into general subcontracting and renovating vintage cars.”

On International Day of Women and Girls in Science we put the spotlight on Jas Cordelle, a Mazak Apprentice now making her mark in our Spindle Service Centre and on the racetrack.

Yamazaki Mazak’s apprenticeship programme has grown dramatically over the last decade with the company currently putting more than 60 apprentices through training.

One of Mazak’s priorities with its apprentice scheme is encouraging more women into engineering, and one of the early success stories is Jas (short for Jasmine) Cordelle, who joined the company nearly 10 years ago.

“I didn’t really like exams at school because I learn better from physically doing something rather than studying,” explains Jas. “I’d always been around engineering because my dad is a design engineer and I have been involved in drag bike racing from the age of 10, so I was probably predisposed towards engineering as a career.”

Jas’ interest firmed up when her dad took her to a number of careers fairs to find out more about local companies. “That was when I first met people from Mazak, and they became my first choice as a future employer.”

After leaving school at 16, her first year as a Mazak apprentice involved studying for her Higher National Diploma (HNC) in Mechanical Engineering, a Level 3 qualification that was based in a local training centre studying the basics of engineering. Year 2 was more factory-based, working three-to-four-week rotations in different areas of Mazak’s European Manufacturing Plant in Worcester. In their third year the apprentices begin to specialise, and Jas chose Mazak’s Spindle Service Centre (SSC) as her area of expertise.

The SSC is a dedicated resource within the factory that aims to maximise spindle performance, one of the most important parts of any machine tool.

“There are 45 employees in the SSC and I found the atmosphere very welcoming and friendly. Also, no two days are ever the same – I can be in the SSC one day and the next be out and about with a customer helping to solve their problems.”

Jas says that the prospect of working in what was, at the time, a male-dominated factory was daunting at first. “When I started there was only one other girl on the shopfloor. But I’d been in a very male dominated sport with my drag racing, so I was used to working alongside men.”

Nowadays, Jas is far from alone as a female engineer at Mazak. “There are half a dozen girls just on the shopfloor now and more coming through the apprenticeship scheme.”

In her spare time, Jas continues to race drag bikes over the standard quarter mile track, reaching speeds of more than 160 mph. “I’m the youngest racer in my highly competitive class, and last season I achieved a personal best of 7.58 seconds. This season my goal is to be even more competitive and put in a good showing at Nitrolympx at the Hockenheim Formula One track in Germany in August.”

And Jas’ career plans? “I’m currently studying for my HNC Level 5 and my line managers are really encouraging me. Despite its size, Mazak is still a family company with a supportive culture. The older, more experienced engineers recognise that it’s part of their role to bring on the next generation, so it’s a great place to learn and to work.”

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