Who We Are

Ian Haigh Beng (Hons) AMIMechE

Managing Director

A professional mechanical engineer with lifelong passion for everything “mechanical engineering” and a strong interest in optimisation, machine learning and artificial intelligence. Vast experience in designing, building and developing high precision, high productivity, bespoke manufacturing machinery, automated assembly machines and automated manufacturing processes.

Creativity and a desire for discovering the optimum process and machine design have provided me with the foundation for producing cutting edge manufacturing machinery and equipment that successfully deliver the triple constraint of high output, high efficiency, high precision manufacturing processes.

My professional career began in welding and fabrication and over the next 10 years progressed to toolmaking and then working as a press operator for a short period of time before becoming a machine setter for high precision torsion springs and wire shapes.

The 20 years following this; designing and building high productivity manufacturing machinery for a global manufacturing group based in Nottinghamshire, serving the electronic media, aerospace and medical device manufacturing sectors with high precision, high volume, metal wire, and strip-based products.

Most pharmaceutical and aerospace projects involved product design and development from concept to validated components and during this time I progressed from design engineer and chief design engineer to engineering manager at senior management level, where I was responsible for engineering throughout the group’s European facilities. Experience includes all aspects of design, project management, procurement, assembly, software development, control programming, commissioning, testing and validation.

Key achievements include:

• Designing and programming a 5 axis, servo driven punching and forming machine for pre-formed stainless steel wire

• Managing the design, build and development of several high speed, servo driven, multi-axis coiling machines for pharmaceutical and aerospace applications.

• Managing the design, build and commissioning of a fully automated process for insertion of thread inserts into plastic strip

• Design and development of a spring-loaded strip collection hub for a medical inhaler application.

• Bespoke deep drawing machinery and tooling for manufacture of high precision contact probes for the electronics (pcb) industry

Keith Epps MEng (hons)

Operations Director

From a creative young person always fascinated by how things work, I studied Mechanical Engineering at Nottingham University. This gave me a solid background from which to grow and start making a positive impact, driven by a desire to solve problems and make things better. I believe in critical thinking, collaboration, and simply clever solutions.

I established myself as a design engineer at two international companies manufacturing precision machinery and automation of unique purpose. I went on to be Chief Design Engineer for a world class supplier to the aerospace and medical industries. Mechanical design has thoroughly engaged me for 15 years to date through which intricate knowledge of production processes and machinery design have developed during the challenges and successes.

Key achievements include design, development and project managing a high-speed wire form component manufacturing machine and in-line automation of secondary processes. The line mass-produces a key precision metal part for a major drug delivery device. Now 8 lines on 2 continents giving a very reliable capacity of over 300m components annually.

Other key achievements include re-designing and developing multiple thread insert manufacturing machines to produce components at between 5 and 10 times greater speed than old mechanical equivalents. And on a different note, I have also designed an automated robotic welding cell for a global car manufacturer.

And when I’m not designing, I’m usually planning, managing & executing the build of machinery and automation. I particularly enjoy this phase; seeing the hours of design become something real; and getting physical feedback on it, fine-tuning and developing to an optimum.