A major deal was completed at MACH 2026 yesterday, with Batten & Allen becoming the first manufacturer in the UK to benefit from Bruderer UK’s latest high-speed press technology.
The Cirencester-based specialist in stamping, plating and assembly of high precision parts has invested £500,000 into the new BSTA 280-88-B3 – just a few days after it made its debut at the country’s biggest industrial show.
A major Mexican export order – to produce lead frames used in the development of AI chip sets – is destined to be the first high volume project run through the new machine when it is installed over the next three weeks.
This will utilise the press’ unrivalled ‘micron’ precision and accuracy, with up to 1500 strokes per minute delivering the high volumes required by its international client.
Equipped with the new BSV 170 servo feeder to support lights-out manufacturing, the BSTA 280-88 also features the new B3 control system, which offers an improved user-interface and market-leading technology.
“We’ve been working closely with the Bruderer technical team in Telford to prove out some of our tooling on the new machine and the results have been outstanding to date,” explained Shawn Batten, Chairman of Batten & Allen.
“This accelerated our decision to purchase the new machine, and MACH 2026 seemed the perfect opportunity to agree the deal and secure a rapid install, so that the technology is in place for the Mexico order and two further jobs for clients in Asia and North America.”
He continued: “Our components are used in some of the most advanced electronic applications, ranging from AI chips and data centres, to advanced automotive and aerospace uses. The BSTA 280-88 gives you everything you need to guarantee 100% repeatable quality at a speed that makes you competitive – it’s a very impressive machine and the B3 control has taken the user interface to the next level.
“We’re also delighted to have worked with Bruderer on the development of its new servo feeder. The improvements, born out of real-world use, makes it the ideal ancillary equipment for thin gauge material.”
The relationship between Bruderer UK and Batten & Allen stretches back to 1974, when the high-speed press manufacturer unexpectedly delivered a second machine with the simple message – ‘pay for it, when you start making money from it’.
This gesture helped to get a fledgling engineering business off the ground. Now, some 52 years later, and the experts in reel-to-reel stamping and plating now employ 125 people and have seen sales rise to £25m this year.
It now boasts 22 ‘Bruderers’ on its expansive shop floor, with the possibility of another one in 2027 following a press shop reconfiguration. Together, these produce millions of parts every day for customers in 20 different countries across five continents.
Adrian Haller, Managing Director of Bruderer UK, picked up the story: “This deal is a blueprint for UK manufacturing to follow and shows how investment in new technology – combined with innovation and technical excellence – can help a domestic company not only remain competitive but lead the way against international rivals.
“The full integration of press, feeder, and tooling within a single manufacturing control environment is a game-changer and will support Batten & Allen with existing work and going after new contracts in the data centre and Artificial Intelligence space.”
He added: “This is more than just buying a press, it’s a strategic manufacturing partnership where we both maximise each other’s strengths…all geared towards delivering a solution that will drive performance and create manufacturing jobs in the UK.”
MACH 2026 is proving one of Bruderer UK’s busiest yet, with the BSTA 280-88-B3 deal following on the back of two strong days of interest from existing and potentially new customers.
At its stand (6-479) in the heart of the MMMA’s Metalworking Village, the company has three complete production lines running that are making parts in real time, including electronic lead frames for semi-conductor manufacture.
Visitors can also see the latest vision system technology, an automated assembly line -comprising of feeding welding, riveting and tapping – and a fully running multi-slide machine with box changing facility for lights-out production.
Adrian concluded: “Despite all the challenges UK manufacturing faces, the first three days of MACH has been a welcome relief, with lots of optimism, collaboration and innovation.
“We are hoping the final two days are as exciting and busy. All our domestic sales and technical team will be on our stand, whilst we have experts from Switzerland, German and the US here to help visitors work through the most complicated of production dilemmas.”
