Insight

Earlier this year, Major Industries Ltd moved into a brand new state of the art facility, located next to its existing site in Kaohsiung, Taiwan. The larger 8,000m2 facility has enabled the company to optimise its processes, improve productivity to even greater levels, as well as help its customers recover, as quickly as possible, from the pandemic’s disruption.

Major Industries’ reputation as a world-class, well respected manufacturer of high performance cold form tooling began in the early 1980s, when the company’s expertise in heat treatment and knowledge of metallurgical principles were applied to the production of steel tooling.

In 1988, following the successful development of a new vacuum brazing technology, Major Industries launched the patented MIL-Tip, which is produced using a unique process of fusing a carbide tip to a steel shank – combining the benefits of high-speed steel with tungsten carbide without diminishing either property. The result of this is a reliable punch that is, at the same time, both wear resistant and tough. 

“MIL-Tip was rapidly adopted by the fastener industry, which immediately recognised its ability to match the performance of solid carbide punches at a lower cost,” explains Neil Pentecost, UK sales director at Major Industries. “The MIL-Tip has continued, to this day, to be a preferred choice for leading cold formers worldwide and placed us at the forefront of the tooling sector.”

Major Industries’ ability to rise to the daily challenges of overcoming technical obstacles presented by customers within the cold forming industry, has enabled it to establish a strong reputation within the market. “By understanding customer goals, industry demands, and the need to optimise material utilisation, we are able to invest in the latest technologies to advance our capabilities and provide a greater variety of tailor-made tooling for our customers’ applications,” states Neil.

Today, the company has at its disposal an impressive range of high-speed steel and tungsten carbide grades for all tooling applications. It also has two pressure furnaces with a rapid quenching facility and a choice of five PVD coatings to enhance tooling life and provide greater wear resistance, even at high temperatures.

“By managing every critical manufacturing process in-house, we can maintain a tight control of both production and expenditure, guaranteeing that we deliver only the highest quality product at a cost-effective price,” points out Neil.

By focusing on customer value, the company’s motivation to ‘make things better by making better things’, ensures Major Industries produces tooling that reduces unplanned stoppages in production; maximises machine availability and output; and ultimately returns higher productivity and overall equipment effectiveness. This means that over time, tangible savings can be made by decreasing tooling costs and improving efficiency.

Harnessing an impressive stock of experience, talent, equipment, and expertise, Major Industries has been able to extend its portfolio into a full range of tooling that now encompasses the entire cold forming process, from start to finish, and includes punches, inserts, punch and die assemblies, transfer fingers, KO pins and sleeves.

“Our new facility will enable us to continue to provide customers with the high-quality products and services that they rely on,” confirms Neil. “It will also mean we can continue to develop our capabilities and processes so that we are constantly meeting the needs of our customers’ and the market as a whole.”

In addition to the investment within the new facility, Major Industries is also making additional investment in reducing lead times, as well as improving efficiency and quality assurance, through the purchase of EDM sinking, EDM wire cutting, CNC milling, CNC grinding, and turning machines, all of which are expected to be commissioned throughout the year.

“By increasing our tooling capacity by 10%, we will strengthen our position as an international supplier of cold forming tooling, adding resilience and competitiveness as demand continues to grow,” states Jack Lee, director of business operations at Major Industries.

Major Industries’ customer base includes many of the world’s leading fastener manufacturers, mainly within the automotive and aerospace sectors, and its expertise is often called upon when they wish to resolve their ongoing tooling issues, where performance does not always meet expectation.

“By identifying shortcomings in existing tools, such as heading punches, piercing punches, marking pins, die inserts, and die assemblies, we can suggest recommendations to upgrade either the specified material, heat treatment or coating, and sometimes to help optimise the tooling configuration. The next stage is for us to manufacture the component to the revised specification in-house, enabling customers to then complete performance and comparison trials.”

Based on performance, reliability, and trust, Major Industries has established long-term partnerships with suppliers and customers alike. “Our commitment to providing a complete tooling service that delivers greater operational benefits,  beyond the production line, has delivered tangible value to the fastener industry for almost 40 years,” concludes Jack.