Yorkshire-based Denley Hydraulics is profiting from a new business stream it has been able to enter with technical assistance from materials engineering specialist TWI. The opportunity to break into a new market sector was too tempting for the hydraulic systems manufacturer to overlook, particularly when a large contract was also on the cards.
Denley Hydraulics, based in Heckmondwike, West Yorkshire, design and manufacture complete hydraulic systems, including valves, cylinders and electrical controls. They tendered for a job from a major oil company, and won the contract, with the pre-requisite that they attain pertinent welding qualifications to satisfy the client's stringent quality system and high standards.
The order was for the production of hydraulic control cabinets. Fabrication of the entire unit takes place in the workshop before it is taken into the field for connection to the processing system - an operation that takes little effort, thanks to the bespoke design of the unit.
Having already provided support for Denley in re-qualifying their welders for their on-going orders, TWI experts working from its South Yorkshire base, were able to provide onsite technical and practical assistance for the development and subsequent qualification of welding procedures, and the qualification of their welders for this specific application. The areas of interest for qualifications were the tungsten inert gas (TIG) shielded arc welding of thick wall 316L austenitic stainless steel pipe in position, and metal active gas (MAG) shielded arc welding of stainless steel plate to make up the hydraulic unit and the pallet respectively.
Having proved that their welders had the ability to produce high quality welds using the required techniques, Denley were confirmed as suppliers of the hydraulic units for the project, and were awarded the lucrative contract worth £800k, with the knock-on effect of safeguarding six jobs within the company.
TWI assisted Denley Hydraulics through a technology transfer programme supported by the European Regional Development Fund, Objective 1 South Yorkshire and Yorkshire Forward, which allows TWI to support small and medium sized companies in the Yorkshire and Humber region.
If you think your company could benefit from similar assistance, please contact TWI Technology Centre (Yorkshire) on 0114 269 9046.