Taylor Hobson

Source: Manufacturing Digital

Date :07/05/2008 13:58:33

Having worked for Taylor Hobson for seven years, Ian Lee-Bennett is now the Business Development Director, and looking to build on the company’s strong heritage and secure an exciting and prosperous future

Written by Lucy Mowatt and Produced by Ben Weaver

With a history dating back to the late 1800s, Taylor Hobson is a company with a worldwide reputation for building accurate metrology equipment for a range of industries. In fact, its equipment is so esteemed that other machine manufacturers and national laboratories use Taylor Hobson machines to ensure their own accuracy.

When Ian Lee-Bennett joined the company in 2001, as one of four Business Development Managers, he was responsible for overseeing the development of non-contact metrology, principally for the semi-conductor, data storage and nanotechnology industries, with optics, automotive and bearings the other industries of focus. In April 2007, he was appointed Business Development Director and the company decided that it was time for a change of approach - each product now has its own product manager, overseen by Lee-Bennett, who is responsible for steering development and marketing, in order to ensure that each product line has a focused strategy to meet market demands.

This approach appears to be a success, having already launched three new products in 2008 alone.

In January this year, Taylor Hobson unveiled the Form Talysurf PGI 2540, the highest resolution form and surface finish profiler in the world to date, which has been developed to serve the optics market, a growing field driven by increasing demand for high precision optics in digital cameras, mobile phones and Blu-Ray HD-DVD technology. This has been accompanied by the launch of a Blu-ray lens at April’s InterMold 2008 in Osaka, Japan, which will serve similar markets.

Meanwhile Talysurf CCI Lite, a new CCI non-contact measurement instrument has also been launched in a version that is not only very accurate, but also much more cost effective than other non-contact systems.

When asked if reducing product cost was a core focus for the company going forward, Lee-Bennett explains that although its products are expensive, they are a real investment for their customers and provide very good value for money; every effort is made to ensure the instruments meet both current and future customer requirements. Many instruments installed more than 30 years ago still working and providing world class results! “We also pride ourselves on the reliability of our measuring equipment, using only the highest quality materials and the expertise of every skilled member of staff,” he says.

Most of Taylor Hobson’s lines are standardised products, which meet even the most stringent customer requirements, although the company is capable of manufacturing tailored measuring equipment for special purposes. Lee-Bennett says that approximately ten bespoke machines are produced each year, although adjustments can be made to standard equipment as well.

Applications

Taylor Hobson’s equipment can be used to measure the surface of materials, as well as to measure the alignment or the roundness of a component. They have applications in the manufacture of cars, medical equipment, electrical components and optics and bearings. As technology advances, the manufacturing tolerances in all these industries are becoming smaller, where the smallest discrepancy in shape or size could cause a major product fault. With a 50 to 60 employee-strong R&D department, the company aims to meet market demands, working on between four or five development projects each year.

As part of the UK Centre of Excellence in Metrology, a £1.3 million clean room has been built at the company’s headquarters in Leicester, funded by the Department of Trade and Industry. It is hoped that the clean room, which is equipped with many Taylor Hobson machines, will stimulate manufacturing in the UK, allowing companies to have access to metrology without having to make substantial investments in equipment. Taylor Hobson will also be able to offer advice and training to customers, who may need to use their equipment more frequently.

All of the company’s facilities are stringently audited by a Quality Steering Team too, which has weekly meetings to discuss improvements and any potential problems. Lee-Bennett says that Taylor Hobson, understandably, wants to be “the best”. This is why there is a constant focus on maintaining standards.

The company is annually audited in order to retain its ISO 9001 certificate, which reassures customers that Taylor Hobson will do all it can to ensure products are right first time. Green issues also rank high on the company’s priorities, having attained both ISO 14001 ‘Environmental Management’ and RoHS compliance.

A global market

Training is a real must for the metrology industry, with Lee-Bennett explaining that the UK finds it hard to gain employees with the right skills. As such, Taylor Hobson invests in training its staff to its needs, both internally and at other organisations. In recent years, the company has funded staff through PhD, MBA and degree level qualifications, with more than 40 supervisors and managers attaining new NVQ level 4 qualifications last year.

To stimulate interest, the company also offers Year in Industry placements for students on a gap or sandwich year in their degrees, demonstrating the diversity of the industry. Taylor Hobson has also built close relationships with the University of Huddersfield, sponsoring Professor Liam Blunt in the Centre of Precision Technology.

Taylor Hobson has also gained the support of AMETEK, its parent company. Following the acquisition in 2004, it gained access to funds for investment, increased purchasing power and advice, as well as a network of AMETEK branch operations, in new and existing markets. This has resulted in sharing common resources around the world as well as access to new customers.

Prior to the takeover, Lee-Bennett explains that the company was operating with accurate but out-dated equipment, which proved to be very labour intensive and costly to maintain – now the company has upgraded significantly, resulting in increased efficiency and improved accuracy, as well as the development of people onto newer manufacturing platforms.

Global reach

Although the support of these branches has meant Taylor Hobson has been able to gain new customers, Lee-Bennett says that the company already had its own global presence, with offices in the USA, France, Germany, Italy, China, Korea and Japan. Alongside sales agents, this network has enabled Taylor Hobson to stay in touch with its multinational clients, who have operations in numerous markets and require instruments to be supported by a truly global service and sales network.

The optics market in South East Asia is growing, as aforementioned, with the development of digital camera, mobile phone and DVD optics, while automotive manufacturing is gaining speed in the BRIC (Brazil, Russia, India and China) countries, meaning that there will potentially be more customers in new markets too.

Shoring up these market conditions, Taylor Hobson carries out targeted marketing activities, approaching potential customers with information about the benefits of their metrology to their industry. International trade shows also form an important part of the marketing strategy, while email newsletters and search engine optimisation have helped to boost the company’s internet presence.

Lee-Bennett states that the company’s primary focus, however, is upon maintaining its core competencies, building on the experience that it has already gained to develop its customer base. With a solid business model, dating back more than 100 years, it is easy to see Taylor Hobson’s future success.