The monthly news from Bennett Engineering [October 2022]

It’s all in the process

The Bennett process is more than a snazzy flow diagram that’s up on the board. It guides every project that’s undertaken by team Bennett Engineering.

Having a process with clear steps provides clarity on what you can expect and when. For example, generating the project specification which includes the outcomes and deliverables (key) and critical items and features (also key) plus the Who (not the band!) enables everybody to be on the same page right at the beginning.

Now some of this process our clients won’t see in action, some is internal activity that ensures our delivery to you is world class every time. And sometimes some of the process is entirely irrelevant to a specific project. That’s OK, the team will know that once the quote is accepted and order received.

With this process you can expect all the right questions like ‘how and where will you manufacture and assemble it’ in the briefing stage through to ‘what’s been missed’ before the concept is signed off.

If process is missing from your projects, there’s plenty to share from here so please feel free to call John or Craig on 01509 363 060.

When do you stop manufacturing a product?

It was with huge shock Craig read about Ford ceasing the manufacture of the UK’s most popular model, the Fiesta.

By June next year there won’t be any more Fiesta’s produced in the Cologne factory as they make way for freeing up space for the production of electric vehicles.

How did they reach this decision?

Market demand perhaps or maybe investment is needed in the assembly line for the Fiesta to continue to be made there which isn’t deemed a good use of finances right now.

One of the hardest decisions a manufacturer can take because investment is going to be needed to ‘pivot’ the factory for the future production of different car models.

Having people who can see the now and future with the pathway to navigate between them is key to the success of stopping the manufacture of one product and starting another in our experience.

What’s the big deal on tolerances?

There’s one thing you need to be clear on when you approach any mechanical design project and it’s this:

Getting your tolerances spot on is not just good practise it’s essential for the success of the project.

A dimension without a tolerance assumes a non-critical dimension. This is OK if that’s really the case. It’s highly unlikely that your dimension’s aren’t critical it’s far more likely that things need to fit together precisely.

Approaching every design engineering project with tolerances fully considered and specified means you’re more likely to have greater success when it comes to the build and operation.

Tolerances will save you time, money and more importantly headaches from frustrations.

Making steel green

Is it really going to be possible to manufacture steel that’s got amazing green credentials when you consider all the material, natural resources and energy required for making this metal?

It’s certainly something that a Swedish company are looking to achieve.

They’ve built a mill in Boden, north of the country, where H2 Green Steel plans to produce both green steel and green hydrogen. 

Apparently, the steel production process will emit 95% fewer emissions than current steel manufacturing methods. 

There’s lots of challenges in both building the plant and getting it operational, as one might expected but it’s an interesting journey to be watching.

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