How Bruderer is leading the UK market for high-speed precision punching and stamping technology
Headquartered in Switzerland, Bruderer is the UK’s leading manufacturer of high-quality, high-speed precision stamping presses and an impressive portfolio of press shop accessories. With decades of experience and industry knowledge, Bruderer is renowned for superior quality and unrivaled precision.
It is the go-to companßy for high-speed machine presses ranging from ten-to-250 tons, servo feeds, and all types of press ancillary equipment like press and plastic mold tooling components, as well as press and tool monitoring systems. With this in mind, Bruderer has evolved to provide complete turnkey stamping solutions that can be customized to each individual client. Adrian Haller, Managing Director of Bruderer UK, joins us to discuss the company’s ongoing success.
“Bruderer has been established in the UK for 55 years now and is the oldest subsidiary of our Swiss head office,” Adrian begins. “We’re involved with nearly every kind of manufacturing sector, from building and construction to electronics, food, automotive, and even medical. Every day, people will touch or interact with something that Bruderer has been involved with at some point in its development. Bend formed stamps form part of several everyday items, from coke cans to mobile phones and even the zips and buttons on your clothes.
“Our UK business is predominantly the sale of new machines, but we also refurbish older machines and have recently started to offer full turnkey solutions. These projects typically come about when a customer wants to make a widget; we do the design, tooling, and delivery, offering a complete package including components. Training is paramount for a successful turnkey solution, so we ensure our highly skilled technical engineers are always on hand to ensure our customers can use machines to their fullest capabilities after installation.
“We build positive, longstanding relationships with our clients, some of whom often lean on our expertise to assist them in achieving a fully operational solution,” Adrian explains. “Sometimes, this could be taking a customer’s initial concept right through to a working manufacturing line with full suites of tooling, or it could be supplying individual items to upgrade existing presses and press lines.”
Bruderer’s latest development in the UK is a long-awaited office move, which will see the UK division relocate from Luton to Telford. “It’s been five-to-eight years in the making, but I’m happy to say the builders are beginning work as we speak,” Adrian reveals. “The decision to move was largely driven by our employees, as many of them are geographically based in the Midlands. We chose Telford because it’s surrounded by blue chip companies and is strategically positioned close to the UK’s major road networks. It’s also near to our training facilities, which will be key moving forwards as we take on new employees and apprentices.
“We’ve designed the new site from the ground up to enable us to retain full control over the design and layout. It will feature a 25-ton crane, specific areas for painting and cleaning, facilities for our employees like a new boardroom, canteen, and EV chargers, as well as a dedicated display area for events, exhibitions, and previews of our new machines. It’s still a greenfield site at the moment, but we’re hoping to be fully operational there by this time next year.”
On the topic of the new building, Adrian highlights the company’s commitment to sustainability. “We’re always looking at ways to enhance our efficiency and reduce our energy consumption. Rather than keep adding new products and machinery, we focus on how to improve the efficiency and sustainability of our existing portfolio. The beauty of Bruderer is that we have the expertise, knowledge, and agility required to adapt our machines whenever we find more environmentally friendly methods or technologies.”
Aside from its relocation, Bruderer has also launched two new machines to expand its turnkey solutions offering specific requirements and manufacturing processes. “The first of the machines is the new BSTL 350-88, which is equipped with Bruderer’s features but engineered for the customers’ needs to allow for specific and high-speed production,” Adrian explains.
“The second machine is the BSTA 710-220, a 71-ton machine with a 2.2-meter bed – the largest machine bed area within its sector. With ever-evolving developments to progression press tools, the machine will enable us to produce complicated components, as the press tool die is capable of multiple operations like milling, laser welding, riveting, tapping, and even gluing.”
This investment comes as no surprise considering the company’s passion for customer service and delivering unique, custom solutions. “We’ve always worked very closely with our customers, suppliers, and other engineering companies, as we believe that no company or person is an island, and we all need support sometimes,” Adrian reflects. “It is paramount that we have reliable partnerships to deliver projects on time and budget that also exceed customer expectations.
“We also work closely with organizations like Make UK and the Metalforming Machinery Makers’ Association (MMMA) to develop processes and communicate problems the industry is currently facing. Engineering and manufacturing are the future of any country, so we’re striving to adopt the best practices in the hope that we will attract young talent to propel the company forward.
“However,” he continues, “UK manufacturing is pushing forward, but it also comes with problems that we don’t expect to ease up in 2024. From currency conversions and shipping costs to skills shortages and inflation, everything is eroding away at the profit margins. We must take on the challenges and instead use them as opportunities to improve the business.”
Adrian concludes: “2024 will be dominated by our relocation and the exhibition at the NEC in Birmingham, UK, where we will be displaying Bruderer’s latest developments in the metal working village of the MMMA for which I am the current Chairman. We’ve got a busy calendar of further exhibitions and events planned and we’ll continue to explore potential projects with other manufacturers to keep the industry moving forward.”