J P Forrest & Son’s Apprentices receive NVQ Level 2 certificate

Our two Apprentices recently received their NVQ Level 2 certificates in Performing Engineering Operations.

Fabrication Shop Apprentice Matthew Roberts and Machine Shop Apprentice Liam Crayon began their Apprenticeships with the company in September 2007 after leaving school at the age of 16. Since then, they have attended North Nottinghamshire College in Worksop on day release from work one day per week. They are now studying towards their NVQ Level 3 Advanced Apprenticeship certificates in their chosen area.

Throughout the apprenticeship programme the apprentices’ progress is continually monitored through 8-weekly workplace reviews and assessments carried out by college staff, with contributions from the apprentices and their supervisor/manager. The college also carries out regular workplace Health & Safety reviews.

J P Forrest & Son’s HR Director says: “Many of our current employees have been with the company for several years, in fact the majority are now in their 50s or 60s. The type of skilled operators we require are difficult to find these days, so taking on apprentices is very important in terms of ensuring we have skilled and experienced personnel to step into the older operators’ shoes when they eventually retire”. The company plans to take on another two apprentices in 2010”.

J P Forrest Open Day 2009

J P Forrest & Son held an Open Day on 23rd September 2009 following the installation and commissioning of its brand new Alesamonti AT150 5-Axis Horizontal Boring Machine.

J P Forrest & Son held an Open Day on 23rd September 2009 following the installation and commissioning of its brand new Alesamonti AT150 5-Axis Horizontal Boring Machine.  The main reason for holding the Open Day, which was well-attended,  was to give existing and prospective customers the opportunity to see the new machine at work and to fully appreciate the type and size of jobs it can handle.   The acquisition of this machine means that the company is now one of only a few in the UK with the capability to manufacture in-house large machined fabrications up to 20 tonnes .

To accommodate the machine the company has had to extend the original machine shop by 150 square metres, and have also installed a new 20 tonne overhead crane, investing around £1m on the project in total. Visitors to the Open Day, who included local press photographers and Lewis Stringer from the East Midlands Development Agency, were also given a tour of the rest of the works to view the company’s comprehensive fabrication and machining facilities. Last year EMDA approved a Business Investment grant of £75,000 to enable the company to go ahead with the project

New Machine Commissioned

J P Forrest & Son has just completed the installation of a large 5-axis Horizontal Boring machine from Italian manufacturer Alesamonti. The machine, which has X-axis travel of 4000mm, Y-axis travel of 3000mm and a table size of 3000mm x 2000mm, and 18 tonne capacity, is fitted with Heidenhain iTNC 530 5-axis control.

Due to continued demand for high quality precision-machined heavy fabrications, J P Forrest & Son of Worksop, Nottinghamshire has recently completed the installation of a large 18 tonne capacity 5-axis Horizontal Boring machine from Italian manufacturer Alesamonti. The machine, which has X-axis travel of 4000mm, Y-axis travel of 3000mm and a table size of 3000mm x 2000mm, is fitted with Heidenhain iTNC 530 5-axis control. Managing Director Martin Hodgkinson says: “This machine was selected for its impressive working envelope, excellent build quality and superb accuracy. The machine is the central part of a £1m expansion project which includes the building of an extension to the company’s premises, almost doubling the effective floor area of the existing Machine Shop.” The expansion plan also included the installation of a 20-tonne overhead crane in the Machine Shop.

The company, which is accredited to BS EN ISO 9001:2008, specialises in the manufacture of welded fabrications, machining and assembly to customer specific requirements of equipment such as gear cases, housings and mainframes and already has six horizontal borers working on two shifts, but recent enquiries from several key clients for heavier components has led to the strategic decision to invest in a heavy fabrication and machining capability.

The company currently employs 30 people at its Worksop site, most of whom have been with the company for many years. The company was founded in 1863 as Whitesmiths by Mr H.P. Forrest, and has progressed over the years to Blacksmiths, Ironmongers, Agricultural Engineers and since 1974 predominantly Heavy Engineers, maintaining traditions of quality, craftsmanship, design and innovation throughout and working with new as well as traditional industries, such as mining, steel making, offshore oil & gas, marine, power generation and recycling. A key factor in the company’s considerable success is its continuous investment in modern technology.