Craftsman Tools engineers clock on in Switzerland

Staff attend week-long training course at Studer Engineers from Craftsman Tools have been at the headquarters of Studer to attend a training course to operate the Swiss company’s CNC universal grinding machines. West Yorkshire-based Craftsman has invested around £250,000 in a Studer S40 as part of its ongoing programme of replacing older machinery, but also to deal with extra capacity in its toolholding division. Six employees flew to Studer’s HQ, in Thun, around 30km south of the capital Bern, for the weeklong course. The engineers also undertook a further three days’ tuition back in Yorkshire, under the direction of Studer’s UK-based training staff. In addition to the Studer 40, Craftsman has invested in a £95,000 Mazak Nexus 7010, again to help deal with extra capacity for its toolholding products. Over the past 12 months, Craftsman’s toolholding division has seen orders increase by around 35 per cent, helping take its turnover to around £6 million. Robert Johnson, Craftsman Tools’ managing director, said: “Through the partnership agreements that we have built up over the past 20 years, Craftsman Tools supplies Sandvik’s Coromant Capto® Quick-Change holders for leading machine tool manufacturers. “Among those we work with include Mori Seiki, Okuma and Doosan lathes, and both Craftsman Capto™ and standard holders for the complete Mazak lathe range. “We are constantly updating our range with both standard holders and innovative solutions for special applications.” FEBRUARY 2009