The early years of Swan Engineering - a company that is quickly becoming one of the country’s major food processing equipment manufacturers - relied heavily on pre-owned machinery purchased from auctions. However, the arrival of a new AMADA ENSIS-3015AJ 3kW Laser Cutting Machine in 2019 transformed the business, paving the way for a new school of thought regarding investment.
Specialising in the manufacture, installation and service of farm and factory processing equipment, Fife-based Swan Engineering is on a rapid growth trajectory thanks to its increasingly popular services. “We are problem solvers,” states the company’s Founder and Managing Director Dale Swan. “Typically, we get requests to help factories that want to reduce labour costs. They might have 10 people trimming vegetables, for example, so we invent a machine to automate that task.” Formed in 2010, Swan Engineering is fast turning into one of the UK’s best manufacturers of high-quality equipment at an affordable price, a formula that is certainly paying dividends. “In the beginning it was just me on my own making small conveyors and simple fabrications” says Mr Swan. “Now we employ 45 people and are currently building an extension that will take our manufacturing space to over 30,000 ft2. Business is booming. While much of our work is local, we recently exported our first machine to Canada and we are becoming more recognised in North America and Europe with some significant quotes out for sizable projects.”
Helping facilitate this rapid growth is a shift in the company’s investment strategy, beginning in 2019 with the arrival of a new AMADA ENSIS-3015AJ 3 kW laser cutter. “Prior to that we had a pre-owned CO2 laser bought from an auction for £15,000,” he explains. “We had it for three years but it began costing us a lot of money. At that time, we never bought anything new. AMADA changed my thinking with the new ENSIS laser and it was the best thing I ever did.” Swan Engineering realised that the monthly cost for the new AMADA machine was hardly any different to running its pre-owned CO2 laser cutter. “For a start we needed a service contract on the old machine, whereas the new AMADA was under warranty,” says Mr Swan. “Furthermore, our old laser was requiring parts, and the cost of electricity for the CO2 machine was huge, especially when considering it ran around 70 slower than our new AMADA laser. As another consideration, we scrapped our CO2 machine, whereas we knew the ENSIS would retain a sell-on value.”
Hold that thought, because in October 2023 Swan Engineering made the surprise decision to replace its flat-bed ENSIS with an AMADA ENSIS-3015RI AJ 3kW Rotary Index (RI) Fibre Laser. “I never thought we would sell our 3kW machine but I really wanted the RI. We couldn’t afford it originally, but with the help of a Scottish Enterprise grant to expand our premises and upgrade the laser, we took the leap. The trade-in money we got for our original ENSIS also proved pivotal.” Swan Engineering was previously processing tube work on a saw and a drill. If any tube projects required a laser-cut finish, the company would have to outsource, typically incurring a 1-2 week lead time. “Now we have total control with the AMADA ENSIS-RI,” says Mr Swan. “We can design and prototype on the machine, quickly check the part fits and run a production batch so suiting our needs. The machine is already running all day [06:00 to 17:30] cutting sheet and plate, as well as tube, box section and angle. Around 60% of our work is stainless steel.” Along with AMADA VPSS3i Blank & VPSS3i Tube software, the arrival of the ENSIS-RI has streamlined the entire manufacturing operation at Swan Engineering.
Tubes come off the laser ready for assembly in ultra-quick time, whereas previously the saw would take ages and require secondary operations as the cut was often not square. The ENSIS-RI accelerates both our cutting operations and our whole fabrication process.” Supporting the ENSIS RI at Swan Engineering is a new AMADA HFE3i-2204 press brake, replacing a 25-year-old model. “It’s incredible to have something with that accuracy,” states Mr Swan. “We need precision when making 20m conveyors with lots of sections that bolt together. The sections are straight as a die with new AMADA HFE3i. We bought it complete with a huge tooling package so we’re fully set-up for all sorts of complex folding.”
“As you can see, we’re becoming an AMADA shop. AMADA showed me the light regarding investing in new machines, while the back-up we get is amazing. We have a great working relationship.” - Mr Dale Swan, Founder and Managing Director
