A six-tonne lathe valued at around £160,000 was inched into place at a manufacturing company as a vote of confidence in its Luton HQ.
For the first time in at least 20 years pump maker Hayward Tyler is putting serious money into its Kimpton Road factory to make it more efficient and better able to compete against major world competitors.
“Fantastic! Fantastic! It’s landed, we’ve got it,” said Chris McDonald, area manager, parts manufacturing at Hayward Tyler as the new machine was lowered into place. “In two weeks we should be up and running.
“It supercedes machinery Hayward Tyler has had since the year dot and it will speed up production. I’m quite excited about getting it up and running.
“The management has shown a lot of faith in Hayward Tyler. The £800,000 is a lot of money especially compared with the last few years, it’s unheard of.”
Bosses at the company which employs about 300 people in Luton, Scotland, the USA, China and India are overhauling production at the site.
Chief executive Ewan Lloyd-Baker says the Made In Britain stamp is valued around the world, as is the name Hayward Tyler.
The company designs, makes and services critical application pumps and motors for the power generation and oil and gas markets. It has an after-sale business built up over many decades.
Varley Pumps, an old Luton name, has been moved to Hayward Tyler north of the border and the company is concentrating its Luton efforts under one roof.
New equipment is being brought in and the factory floor is undergoing a complete transformation, all with the aim of taking on competition from Germany and Japan.
In the last year the manufacturing side of Hayward Tyler made a loss but management believes its Luton operation can turn that around.
Mr Lloyd-Baker said there are early signs of that happening and he is confident the company will be around to celebrate its 200th anniversary in 2015. He told Business Monthly he feels proud to be carrying the historic name into such a significant time.