Page 22

eMag-ProfileOfSuccess-Dec17

tanker drivers, but had not entered into concept discovery because “they said if they went to Japan it would take six months, cost huge amounts of capital and consume massive ‘man-hours’. Gloster’s finished the job in a day and a half from a concept to a working 3D model. It stunned the engineers. “We turned up at a meeting in Auckland to find they’d flown people in from Australia and Singapore for the meeting,” laughs Hans. “Here we were in jeans and jumpers and faced by a board room table of suits. Our work did the talking.” It’s this type of concept work from an idea that the company is renowned for, and growing a further fine reputation because of. “Design capabilities mean that we can produce the A-Z in terms of concept through to project completion,” adds Hans. And it’s Total CNC that fit in with Gloster’s unique requirements that helps the business machine keep oiled and running at full capacity. “We’re all on the same page,” says Rob. “We make that a priority. “We’re not the answer to everything that Gloster needs in terms of CNC requirements but we do contribute whenever needed, and well beyond the traditional industry supplier role – when we say added service, we back it up 100% with the walk. “We’ve all got the same goal which is to get a good result. Because this is a complex industry that we are involved with, the skillset that Total CNC can provide makes a huge difference. “It’s about understanding each other. The CNC machine is the easiest part as it just sits on the floor and you fire it up. The real skill of Gloster and Total CNC is making it work beyond the machine. “The manufacturing challenge today is such that the out-of-the-box machine gets 80% of the job done, but the rest comes down to specific tools for the tasks our clients have; it could be training, it could be the controller type or support from our technical team. For a win:win, it’s not that they’ve bought the machine and it’s working, it’s making it work better, the service from our end when issues arise… it can be challenging but we make it an absolute focus. “Even though ‘understanding’ costs time, in the long run it saves time and produces a far better result for everyone involved. With Gloster, we have got to a stage where we are a silent partner – we are always thinking about their business and that philosophy is put in place from the top of Total CNC.” Many within the industry will be green with envy at the bond these two companies have. They are breaking new ground in how to do business in an ever-evolving and competitive engineering landscape. A landscape that involves unicorns in terms of rarity, but no myths – just a bit of absolute magic. PROFILE OF SUCCESS Rob Bennett (right), Jeremy Schinkel, centre (lathe programmer / setter), and Hans Kruiswijk discuss components made on the new BNC2280XL lathe. 22 December 2017


eMag-ProfileOfSuccess-Dec17
To see the actual publication please follow the link above