Southampton-based propulsion manufacturer CJR Propulsion is to install £4m of new manufacturing equipment to help it deliver better products to its customers.
Representing one of the marine industry’s largest single investments of 2018, the apparatus and related software, will integrate seamlessly with CJR’s existing computational fluid dynamics (CFD) department and boast high levels of automation.
“These investments are about delivering better products to our customers, and on that front, the impact will be significant,” said Mark Russell, managing director, CJR Propulsion.
“Accuracy, performance, efficiency, longevity and ride comfort can all be improved, and we are looking to reach a level of precision that is above even Class S standards.”
The equipment includes machine-controlled, robotic mould-making, multiple 5-axis CNC machining cells, pick-and-place delivery and storage technology and the automation software required to integrate each stage of the process.
Russell said that the new equipment will enable CJR to cut the time from initial contact to delivery by over 60% on new projects, without adding anything to the final cost.
The bespoke equipment has been designed and built specifically to meet the requirements of CJR Propulsion’s growing customer base and will enable CJR to offer its unique approach to ever-larger projects around the world.
To house the new equipment, CJR Propulsion has acquired an adjacent facility in Southampton, increasing its manufacturing space by more than 50%.
The company is also providing existing staff with the opportunity to retrain to ensure the increased levels of automation doesn’t result in job losses.
